general tso's general purpose sauce with chicken
|
|
 |
It's not often that I 'meat-ify' a recipe. The original recipe was for General Tso's Tofu, but the idea of fried tofu wasn't rocking my boat at the time, and I happened to have some leftover chicken.
Then voila, easy stir-fry that the husband and birdie approved. They said it was, "Cool, like spicy sweet and sour sauce." And about 30 minutes start to finish. This is yet another one of those "any kine" recipes where the protein can be varied. Chicken, pork, shrimp, fish, and yes, cornstarch-fried tofu if you like too. |
|
1-2 pieces of boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into thin strips or bite-sized pieces
Or A few handfuls of previously cooked chicken (like Costco) 1 green pepper, cut into strips 1 yellow or red pepper, also cut into strips 1 onion, cut into thin half-rounds |
A bunch of green onions, finely chopped
A little bit of sesame oil A little bit of canola oil 1T fresh ginger or about 1t powdered ginger 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped Sauce 2T shoyu 1/4 cup brown or raw sugar 1T American vinegar 1T mirin 2T chili paste, sambal oelek or Chinese chili garlic sauce 1T cornstarch |
Mix the ingredients of the sauce in a small bowl and set aside. Heat a wok to medium high with a little bit of canola and sesame oil. When the oil has the nice sheeting action, add the green onion, ginger, and garlic and quick-stir so that the flavors meld and you can smell them all. Do Not Let the Garlic Burn.
If using raw chicken/pork, toss the meat in first and cook until just done.
Add the onions first and stir-fry until they are starting to get soft. Add peppers and continue to stir-fry.
Pour the sauce over the vegetables and cook until they are fork-tender. The sauce will get thick and shiny with the cornstarch and this happens fast.
Turn off heat as soon as the sauce is sticking to the vegetables and meat.
NOTES
1) If using cooking meat like chicken or tofu, cook the vegetables first and then add the cooked chicken or tofu. Toss with the sauce until everything is coated and heated throughout.
2) If you want extra heat, add 1 chopped (seeded) jalapeno pepper into the initial ginger/garlic/green onion oil mixture.
If using raw chicken/pork, toss the meat in first and cook until just done.
Add the onions first and stir-fry until they are starting to get soft. Add peppers and continue to stir-fry.
Pour the sauce over the vegetables and cook until they are fork-tender. The sauce will get thick and shiny with the cornstarch and this happens fast.
Turn off heat as soon as the sauce is sticking to the vegetables and meat.
NOTES
1) If using cooking meat like chicken or tofu, cook the vegetables first and then add the cooked chicken or tofu. Toss with the sauce until everything is coated and heated throughout.
2) If you want extra heat, add 1 chopped (seeded) jalapeno pepper into the initial ginger/garlic/green onion oil mixture.
