I think I'm cooking Chinese I think I'm cooking Chinese I really think so...

     Okay, bad reference to the song "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors.  ::clears throat::  Now, onto the blog.  So, these next two recipes are so flipping similar that I couldn't decide which one to make.  So I made them both.  Not only that, but thanks to a super market steal, I made both these dishes which fed Scott and I  for four to five meals (including seconds) for under $20!  Now, that's the advantage of cooking at home!

General Tso's Chicken (from Take-out Menu Cookbook by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds)

Ingredients:

1 large egg, beaten
4 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp plus 1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp mirin
1.5 lbs boneless chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. hoisin
1tbsp chili paste with garlic
10 black peppercorns,crushed
2 tsp Asian sesame oil
2 to 3 cups vegetable oil, for frying
5 hot chiles, cut in half 
1 (1 inch) knob fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, seed and thinly sliced
3 green onions, thinly sliced for garnish
White rice, for serving

Procedure:

1) In a medium bowl, combine the egg, 3 tbsp. of cornstarch, 1 tbsp. of soy sauce, and 1 tbsp. of mirin.  Add the chicken and let it marinate at room temperature while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

2) In a separate bowl, combine the remaining tablespoon of cornstarch, the remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce, the remaining 2 tbsp mirin, and the rice vinegar, sugar, hoisin, chili paste, peppercorns, sesame oil and 1/2 cup of water.  Set aside.

3) In a heavy pot over medium heat, heat 3 inches of oil to 360 F.  Add about 10 pieces of chicken to the hot oil and fry until brown and crispy, about 2 minutes.  Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.  Repeat with the remaining chicken.   Set aside.

4) Remove all but 3 tbsp of oil from the pot and add the chiles, ginger, and garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.   Add the broccoli and bell pepper and stir-fry, tossing the vegetables for 2 minutes or until they are brightly colored and partially cooked.

5) Add the cooked chicken to the pot along with the reserved sauce and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and the vegetables are tender, about 2 minutes.

6) To serve,sprinkle green onions over the top and serve hot with rice.

     This came out quite well.  I used my cast iron skillet instead of a heavy pot and it was fine.  I also like brown rice instead of white, so used that in both this recipe and the kung pao chicken below.  I did learn an important lesson on frying, though.  Follow the recipe!  I thought I could cheat and just add all the chicken at once when the oil wasn't as warm as it should have been.  Yeah....  Took a while to cook the chicken, it didn't turn brown and crispy and I lost all my coating on it to boot.  Oh well, live and learn.  I used darker soy sauce so the entire dish turned dark, but it still tasted good!

General Tso's chicken

With a green onion garnish

Kung Pao Chicken (also from Take-out menu cookbook)

Ingredients:

1 egg white, beaten
4 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp plus 2 tbsp rice wine (I used mirin)
4 chicken breasts, skinned, boned, and cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp hoisin
2 tsp Asian sesame oil
1/2 cup peanut or vegetable oil
1 cup peanuts, preferable boiled and unsalted
5 dried hot chiles, or to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, sliced
3 quarter-sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
White rice, for serving

Procedure:

1) Combine the egg white, 1 tbsp soy sauce, cornstarch, and 1 tsp rice wine in a large bowl.  Add the chicken and stir to coat.  Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

2) In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 3 tbsp soy sauce, and 2 tbsp rice wine with the rice vinegar, sugar, hoisin, and sesame oil and set aside.

3) Heat the oil in a wok over high heat until it is hot and barely smoking.  Add the peanuts and toss them for about 2 minutes, or until they begin to brown.  Remove the peanuts from the oil and transfer them to a heatproof plate. Set aside.

4) Add the chicken to the oil and toss, cooking it until it is slightly browned on the outside, but not cooked all the way through, about 2 minutes.   Remove the chicken from the wok and add it to the peanuts.  (There will be some brown bits on the bottom of the wok.  They will help thicken the sauce when it is added to the pan later.  Be careful and don't let them burn, or your sauce will taste sharp.)

5) Add the chiles to the wok and cook them until they are almost black, about 1 minute.  Add the garlic, green onions, and ginger along with the peanuts,chicken, and sauce.  Toss to incorporate the sauce and heat through.  Serve with rice.

Variation: 

Sometimes we like to add vegetables to this dish to make it a one-dish meal.  Try adding sliced water chestnuts and green or red bell peppers, broccoli, or bok choy along with the other vegetables in the dish.  By swapping out the peanuts for cashews, the dish becomes cashew chicken  You can also vary the dish by using thinly sliced pork or beef, or whole shrimp.

     And guess which vegetables I used in the variation?  That's right!  The broccoli and red bell peppers from the previous dish.  At least this dish didn't ask you to fry everything.  In step four, remove the peanuts as they barely start to brown.  I removed them when they were already brown and ended up with some blackened peanuts.  Oh well.  I also used fresh chiles instead of dried and chicken thighs instead of breasts because, guess what again, I had them leftover from the previous dish!  Isn't it great to only have to go grocery shopping once for two great dishes?

The very similar-looking Kung Pao chicken.  The picture quality is not as good
as this was taken on my cell phone (camera was charging).

Just like at a Chinese restaurant!