



I've only very recently begun to enjoy Chinese food. Actually, I should rephrase that: I've only recently begun to eat Chinese food. Sometimes I can be a bit of a picky eater, and I say that I don't like something because it's just different than what I'm used to (even if I've never tried it!). I'm trying (keyword: trying) to embrace new types of food. And I'm glad that I'm doing so, because it turns out I love Chinese food. My favourite dish is General Tso's chicken. Crispy, fried pieces of chicken in a tangy and sweet sauce... you really can't go wrong in my book.





I loved this recipe. It was more "traditional" than simply a sweet and sour sauce. My two little sisters are really picky and didn't like this sauce-- I think they were expecting a sweet and sour sauce (which I'll make for them next time-- I think I'll use this recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken from Addicted to Recipes ). I, on the other hand, loved it. The inclusion of the hoisin sauce gave the chicken a unique flavour: it was tangy and sweet, but had a unique flavour that I can't really describe from the hoisin sauce.





I didn't deep fry my chicken pieces-- I didn't have enough oil. Instead, I used a large frying pan and poured the oil in til there was about a 1/2 inch of oil. I just flipped the pieces of chicken once and got them nice and crispy on each side, and they were perfectly cooked. The pieces of chicken still fried beautifully and were nice and crispy, but juicy on the inside.





This is definitely a recipe I'll make again!









General Tso's Chicken

Yield: 4-5 servings







Marinade:

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup white vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 cups water

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (I omitted these)





Coating & frying:

3 large egg whites

1 1/2 cups cornstarch

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 cups vegetable oil (I didn't use this much oil, read above)

1-2 green onions, thinly sliced for garnish (optional)