General Tso's Chicken (Changsha Version) (Zuo Zong Tangji)
Book Description
Authentic recipes and fascinating tales from one of China's most vibrant culinary regions. Fuchsia Dunlop is the author of the much-loved and critically acclaimed Sichuanese cookbook Land of Plenty, which won the British Guild of Food Writers' Jeremy Round Award for best first book and which critic John Thorne called "a seminal exploration of one of China's great regional cuisines."
This version of General Tso's chicken is one I learned in the kitchens of the Yuloudong restaurant in the Hunanese capital, Changsha. It is not on the menu of the restaurant, but one of the chefs there had learned the recipe from someone connected indirectly with Peng Chang-kuei, and he very kindly showed me how to make it. Its sweetness makes it closer to the Americanized version of the dish than the previous Taiwan recipe.
The dish is usually made with boned chicken leg meat, although you can use breast if you prefer. I’ve suggested using boned thighs, which are widely available.
4 boned chicken thighs with skin (about 12 oz. total)
6 to 10 small dried red chiles
3/4-in. piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp. double-concentrate tomato paste mixed with 1 tbsp. water
3 scallions, green parts only, sliced
1 tsp. sesame oil
peanut oil for cooking
FOR THE MARINADE:
2 tsp. light soy sauce
4 tsp. dark soy sauce
1 egg yolk
4 tbsp. potato flour
FOR THE SAUCE:
1/2 tsp. potato flour
2 tsp. white sugar
2 tsp. chinkiang vinegar
1/4 tsp. dark soy sauce
2 tsp. light soy sauce
3 tbsp. everyday stock or water
Unfold the chicken thighs and lay them, skin side down, on a chopping board. (If some parts are very thick, lay your knife flat and slice them in half, parallel to the board.) Use a sharp knife to make a few shallow crisscross cuts into the meat—this will help the flavors to penetrate. Then cut each thigh into bite-size slices, an uneven 1/4 inch or so in thickness. Place the chicken slices in a bowl.
To make the marinade, add the soy sauces and egg yolk to the chicken and mix well, then stir in the potato flour and lastly the oil; set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.
To make the sauce, combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl; set aside,
Use a pair of scissors to snip the dried chiles into 3/4-inch pieces, discarding the seeds as far as possible.
Heat enough oil for deep-frying to 350-400 degrees F. Add the chicken and deep-fry until it is crisp and golden. (If you are deep-frying in a wok with a relatively small volume of oil, fry the chicken in batches.) Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour the oil into a heatproof container, and clean the wok if necessary.
Return the wok to a high flame with 2-3 tablespoons of the oil. Add the dried chiles and stir-fry briefly until they are fragrant and just changing color (do not burn them).
Toss in the ginger and stir-fry for a few seconds more, then add the tomato paste and stir-fry until the oil is stained a deep orange.
Add the mixed ingredients for the sauce, stirring as it thickens.
Tip in the chicken and stir vigorously to coat it in sauce. Add the scallions and stir a few times, then, off the heat, stir in the sesame oil and serve.
