General Tso's Chicken Recipe

" I didn't have any clue how to be a parent until I'm dealing with my kid daily now"--me

Selam everybody..... Merhaba from Turkey....

Fall officially comes..... Everyday is raining and dark mostly this whole week. I have no complaint at all..weather come and go..changing as nature calls... But I get a little clueless dealing with my kid... she seems boring stay inside house whole day these few days....
I already tried to make her busy start making her play dough, buy her new puzzles (she bored already with her old solved puzzles), drawing, coloring.....anything that across my mind that kinder garden teachers mostly do.
Tell me if you have any idea how to "home schooling" 3 y.o kid... ^,^
If we were in my homeland, she could play outside during the day...plays with chickens, sheep, cats or even climbs small trees around my mom's house and with many other kids in my "kampoong" ^,^

So lately I don't want to spend too much time at kitchen...although yes she loves follow me doing things in kitchen..I like it ..but our kitchen is too small-just like design for 1 person only in it!! 
Of course I want her to have fun also with me in kitchen... she is just small girl, she always brings her step stool to kitchen to reach kitchen table..if so.. no more space for me to move freely...really..our kitchen that small... I think around 2 x 1,5 m square.... Hope we can move to our own soon, Ameen. ^,^

Well...enough my "daily report" for now.... just I hope few years later she will remember the time we spend together daily (^,^)

And for daily recipe today, I made general tso's chicken. I read some references that this general Tso's chicken is one of popular American Chinese take away food in US beside orange chicken that I posted earlier. And after searching dozens of recipes,  watching many video how to make it, I have some comparisons from those... some using hoisin sauce, some use oyster sauce, some even use brandy and vodka in their recipe. 

But I get conclusion that main ingredients of this General Tso's Chicken are; garlic, fresh ginger,vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and whole dried chilies. And for fried chicken generally using egg and cornstarch. The taste should be vinegary sour, sweet yet savory from soy sauce.
This meal actually similar to many chinese Indonesian foods I'm familiar with... so after those searching, comparison and read many about this meal...I come out with my own recipe; and definitely no alcohols in it a.k.a halal...
Result: It's really chicken meal with totally asian taste! yummy!

Serve for 4 sharings

Ingredients I:

• about 700 gr chicken boneless, cut small chunks (4~5 cm)
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp cornstarch or tapioca starch
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Ingredients II:

• 125 gr flour
• 75 gr cornstarch/ tapioca
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

Ingredients III:

• 4 Tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 1/2 Tbsp vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 4 tbsp brown sugar/ molasses
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 3/4 cup chicken stock/ water
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 4 cloves garlic, bruised and finely chopped
• 1 thumb (4 cm) fresh ginger, finely chopped
• dried bird eye chilies (whole)
• 2 scallions, roughly cut white part only (keep green part for serving if you like)
• oil for fry
• sesame seeds for serving (optional)

How to cook:

1. Beat off the egg, mix in soy sauce and stir well. Add in chicken chunks, gently mix until all chunks cover by egg. Then mix in cornstarch and baking soda, again mix gently so all chicken cover by marinate sauce. Cover and let it rest about 15 minutes (in fridge).
2. Sift together all ingredients II (I sifted them so they can mix thoroughly). Put that flour mixture over wide platter. Move chicken chunks to flour plate then cover each piece with coating flour. 
3. Heat enough cooking oil for deep fry the chicken. Shake chicken chunks to remove excess flour and fry until golden brown over medium high heat. Drain excess oil over paper towel.
4. Making the sauce: in a bowl mix together dark soy sauce, vinegar, oyster sauce, brown sugar/ molasses, chicken stock/ water and cornstarch, set a side.
5. In a wok heat about 3 Tbsp cooking oil (from frying chicken previously) and 2 tsp sesame oil. Saute chopped garlic, ginger and dried chilies for few second until aromatic. Then pour in the sauce mixture (note: stir the sauce while pouring onto wok to dilute cornstarch that might sink at the bottom of the bowl).
6. Keep stirring until the sauce get thicken and boiling, add in scallion and stir. Then mix in the chicken. Gently toss to cover chicken with the sauce. Remove from heat.

Serve immediately with hot steamed rice and broccoli. sprinkle with chopped scallion and sesame seeds.

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