Food and Drink: General Tso’s Chicken

Everyone’s favorite Chinese chicken dish comes home to roost. A large, weathered wok comes in handy here, but any big, deep skillet will do. Pair the saucy fried chicken with rice and stir-fried greens for homemade delivery done right. It may not be authentic, but authentic isn’t what we’re after here.

1. To make the sauce, combine the soy sauce, tomato paste, seasoned rice vinegar, rice wine, brown sugar, water and cornstarch in a bowl, whisking to dissolve the tomato paste and sugar. Set aside.
2. For the chicken, in a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, eggs, pepper and cornstarch. Add the chicken and evenly coat.
3. Heat 3 cups oil in a wok to around 370°F and line a large plate with paper towel.
4. Carefully add the chicken to the hot oil, a few pieces at a time, and deep-fry until crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and drain on
   the paper towel. When all the chicken is fried, drain the wok of oil and wipe clean. (Note: Do not pour oil down the drain. To properly dispose, pour it into a resealable jar and throw it in the trash.) Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and, when hot, add the dried chilies, garlic and ginger. Stir-fry until aromatic, about 30 seconds, then add the sauce and stir until it thickens, 1to 2 minutes.
5. Return the deep-fried chicken to the wok and toss to coat with the sauce for two minutes. Drizzle with sesame oil and garnish with green onions. Serve at once with a side of steamed rice.

Ingredients

For the sauce:

• 4 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
• 4 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• ½ cup water or chicken broth
• 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with
• 1 tbsp cold water

For the chicken:

• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• ½ tsp pepper
• 4 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, patted dry and cut into bite-size pieces
• 3 cups vegetable oil for deep-frying, plus 2 tbsp for stir-frying
• 10 small dried red chilies 6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 4 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

Steamed rice, for serving

Excerpted from Kosher Style: Over 100 Jewish Recipes for the Modern Cook by Amy Rosen, published by Appetite by Random House, priced £25 (hardback)