{"id":2965,"date":"2015-01-23T13:08:26","date_gmt":"2015-01-23T18:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/picklesandtea\/?p=2965"},"modified":"2015-01-23T13:09:38","modified_gmt":"2015-01-23T18:09:38","slug":"general-tsos-chicken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/picklesandtea\/general-tsos-chicken\/","title":{"rendered":"General Tso’s Chicken"},"content":{"rendered":"

General Tso\u2019s chicken may be the emblematic go-to dish at\u00a0Chinese restaurants across North America but this supposedly Hunan dish is virtually unknown in China.<\/p>\n

In her 2013 cookbook Every Grain of Rice–Simple Chinese Home Cooking<\/a><\/em>, Fuchsia Dunlop explains that General Tso\u2019s chicken was actually invented by a Hunanese chef in exile. Peng Chang-kuei fled to Taiwan after the Chinese Revolution (1949-50). He moved to New York City in 1973 where he\u00a0opened a Hunanese restaurant.<\/p>\n

While Mr. Peng invented General Tso\u2019s chicken in Taiwan, naming it for the Qing Dynasty military leader Tso Tsung-t’ang, he propelled the dish to its current apex of popularity through his former New York \u00a0restaurant. The\u00a0original dish was redolent with the flavors of Hunanese cuisine\u2014 heavy, sour, hot and salty. In a bid to\u00a0appeal to his American customers, Mr Peng added sugar. And it worked! Today, his General Tso’s chicken is widely imitated and widely celebrated.<\/p>\n

Dunlop\u2019s recipe<\/a> stays true to Mr. Peng\u2019s original version but I adapted it to imitate the flavors we\u2019re more familiar with here in the U.S.<\/p>\n

The history\u2014and mystery–of General Tso\u2019s chicken has sparked much curiosity, including a new documentary,\u00a0The Search for General Tso<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/strong>that\u00a0is out in select theaters\u00a0this month. Directed by Ian Cheney, it was also co-produced by Jennifer 8. Lee<\/a>, the author behind The Fortune Cookie Chronicles<\/a><\/em>, an excellent book tracing the Chinese-American experience through the lens of food.<\/p>\n

One thing’s definitely not a mystery–General Tso’s chicken is one tasty dish!<\/p>\n

~~~<\/p>\n

General Tso\u2019s Chicken<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"General<\/a><\/p>\n

Although I\u2019ve seen potato starch (or flour) in several Japanese recipes (in particular, chicken karaage<\/a>), I\u2019ve never used it before and was pleasantly surprised. The chicken turned out light and crispy and the frying oil was clean, i.e. no floaty bits! This is good news for the gluten-free. You can substitute potato starch for AP flour in many recipes from sweet and sour chicken to honey pork chops. If you don\u2019t have potato starch, corn starch is fine.<\/p>\n

Makes: 4 servings as part of a multicourse meal
\nTime: 45 minutes<\/p>\n

Sauce:
\n1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
\n1 teaspoon tomato paste
\n1 teaspoon\u00a0potato starch
\n1-1\/2 tablespoons\u00a0rice vinegar
\n1 tablespoon soy sauce
\n1-1\/2\u00a0teaspoons\u00a0sesame oil
\n1\/4 cup water<\/p>\n

Marinade:
\n1\u00a0tablespoon\u00a0soy sauce
\n1 tablespoon Shaoxing Chinese wine or dry sherry
\n1\u00a0egg\u00a0white, beaten
\n2\u00a0tablespoons\u00a0potato flour<\/p>\n

1 pound\u00a0(4 to 5) skinless, boneless\u00a0chicken thighs cut into 1-inch chunks
\nVegetable oil for frying
\n8\u00a0dried\u00a0red chilies, shoulders snipped and seeds removed
\n2\u00a0teaspoons finely chopped\u00a0ginger (1×1-inch piece)
\n2\u00a0teaspoons minced\u00a0garlic (2 large cloves)
\nChopped green onions for garnish<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \u00a0For the sauce, combine the sugar, tomato paste, potato starch, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and water in a small bowl. Stir until the potato starch has dissolved and no more lumps are visible. Set aside.<\/li>\n
  2. For the marinade, combine the\u00a0soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, egg\u00a0white and potato starch in a large bowl. Add the chicken and mix well to coat.<\/li>\n
  3. Pour about 1-1\/2 inches oil into a 14\u201d wok or Dutch oven and set over high heat until the oil reaches about 350 degrees. Carefully lower the chicken into the oil (preferably piece by piece so they don\u2019t stick) and fry in batches for 3 to 4 minutes or until crisp and golden. Using a metal spider or slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked (I had 3 batches). Let the oil cool down a little and pour into a heatproof container (I used a glass jar). Wipe the wok clean.<\/li>\n
  4. Set\u00a0the wok back on the stove over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil. When hot, toss in the chilies and stir for a few seconds, until they just start to darken in color. Don\u2019t let them turn burn! Turn the heat down to medium and stir in the ginger and garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the sauce, stirring as it thickens. Return the chicken to the wok and stir continuously to coat. Remove to a serving dish and scatter with green onions. Serve with freshly steamed rice and a vegetable side dish.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    General Tso\u2019s chicken may be the emblematic go-to dish at\u00a0Chinese restaurants across North America but this supposedly Hunan dish is virtually unknown in China. In her 2013 cookbook Every Grain of Rice–Simple Chinese Home Cooking, Fuchsia Dunlop explains that General Tso\u2019s chicken was actually invented…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,613,18,24,31],"tags":[28,252,635,312],"class_list":["post-2965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chinese","category-deep-frying","category-entrees","category-fusion","category-poultry","tag-chicken","tag-gluten-free","tag-hunan-cuisine","tag-take-out"],"yoast_head":"\nGeneral Tso's Chicken - Pickles and Tea<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/picklesandtea\/general-tsos-chicken\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"General Tso's Chicken - Pickles and Tea\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"General Tso\u2019s chicken may be the emblematic go-to dish at\u00a0Chinese restaurants across North America but this supposedly Hunan dish is virtually unknown in China. 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