General Tso's Chicken

Having to decide what to cook for dinner for 7/8 people can be difficult, yet the basis of any Chinese meal consists of Jasmine/white rice, vegetable dish and meat dishes. Jasmine rice - check Vegetables - check - Gai Lan and also Choy Sum Meat - I saw this glorious dish over at Lizzie's blog - Hollow Legs so i'm gonna make General Tso's Chicken. I'll also be making Char Siu one of my faves for sure. Here's the recipe for General Tso's Chicken

General Tso's Chicken

Serves 2

To marinade the meat:

3 or 4 chicken thighs with the skin on, deboned and chopped into pieces

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp cornflour

2 tsp light soy sauce

1/2 tsp dark soy sauce

Mix this in a bowl and leave to sit whilst you prepare the other ingredients.

For the sauce:

1 tbsp tomato puree

4 tbsp water

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1/2 tsp dark soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp light soy sauce

1/2 tsp cornflour.
- I decided to add a bit of Chinese Rice wine for an extra oomph

The rest:

6 - 10 dried chillis, snipped into 3cm pieces, discarding the seeds

2 tsp finely chopped ginger - or crushed

2 tsp finely chopped garlic - or crushed

1 spring onion, sliced for garnish

2 tsp sesame oil

Oil for deep frying

It looks like a long list of ingredients, but you just need to mix the sauce materials up for the last minute cooking.

Deep fry the chicken in 2 batches until the chicken is golden and crispy. Set to one side. Empty out the oil, reserving 2 tbsp. Fry the chillis briefly and then add the ginger and garlic. Fry until it's all fragrant, and then add all the sauce in, and then the chicken. When it is thickened, turn off the heat and serve, with the sesame oil and spring onion to garnish.

What to do with left over katsiki

Xpovia polla!
Wishing you all a fantastic, tip top,
ready to rock 2010!

I guess Moroccan Lamb Tangine with lemon cous cous is what i'll attempt to do in the current state i'm in.

I did make this delicious not so long ago when Athens went through a cold phase, but it is super sunny today- what an amazing start to the new year. I followed this recipe from BBC website by Rachel Allen. The cooking time has been shortened as the meat is already cooked and quite tender -bonus!

For the lamb tagine
4 tbsp olive oil
8 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
4 onions, peeled and chopped
4 tsp grated, fresh ginger
1½ tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
3 tsp ground cinnamon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3kg/7lb shoulder of lamb, boned, fat removed and cut into 4cm/1½in cubes
2 tbsp tomato purée
2kg/4½lb ripe tomatoes or 4 X 400g/14oz can tomatoes, coarsely chopped
4-5 tbsp honey
For the couscous
1 large or 2 small pomegranates
800g/1¾lb couscous
6 tbsp olive oil
2 lemons, juice only
1 litre/1¾ pints boiling chicken stock or water
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp chopped, fresh mint or coriander
To serve
1 lime, cut into wedges
bowl Greek yoghurt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 2.
2. For the lamb tagine, heat a large ovenproof casserole or heavy saucepan on a medium to high heat.
3. Add the olive oil, garlic, onions, ginger and spices and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then cook, covered, on a low heat for about ten minutes, until the onions are soft.
4. Add the lamb, tomato purée, chopped tomatoes and honey into the saucepan, stir throughly.
5. Bring to the simmer and place in the oven for 1½ hours, until the lamb is tender.
6. Remove the lid of the saucepan halfway through the cooking time to let the liquid reduce and thicken.
7. If the sauce is still a bit thin, put the saucepan on the hob on a medium heat and without the lid. Stir occasionally and let the liquid reduce until a thick sauce begins to appear.
8. Meanwhile, for the couscous, cut the pomegranates in half and scoop out the seeds using a teaspoon and remove the white membrane around the seeds.
9. Place the couscous in a bowl and mix in the olive oil and lemon juice.
10. Pour the boiling stock or water onto the couscous and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
11. Allow the couscous to sit in a warm place for 5-10 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed.
12. Stir the chopped herbs and pomegranate seeds into the couscous.
13. To serve, place the tagine on serving plates with couscous and a wedge of lime. Serve alongside a bowl of thick Greek yoghurt.