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Saturday 24 January 2004
- 6:48
En français: Bouchées de poulet épicées au miel (façon «général Tao»)
I invented this one on a night I didn't feel like cooking. Don't ask me why, but I really seem to reach a peek of inventiveness at those particular times. The result was fantastic, and has generated such enthousiasm around me (friends are calling to say how they liked it, and the comments keep accumulating on les Banlieusardises) that I thought it might be a perfect recipe for my first 2004 entry in Suburblicious. Note that I'm not trying to justify such a long time without updates ;-)
How dare I refer to my recipe as an invention? General Tao's recipes are everywhere, one might object. Yes, THEY are. In fact, there are so many recipes of it that I've given up trying to find a common factor between all ot them and decided to simply go my way. This is why I call it "General Tao" style. I don't want this General's nephew, nor any of his descendants, come here and tell me I've messed up with his family recipe! For example, it seemed to to me that honey would be far more interesting than sugar (which is commonly used), adding in flavour as much as in texture. Moreover, as I had forgotten to buy eggs to make a paste to coat the chicken, I finally chose a simplified and healthier coating. To make a long story short: this is NOT General Tao's chicken, even if it tastes like it: this is a recipe involving chicken pieces, spices and honey, which tastes a lot like General Tao's chicken (which as the objective! :)
 Ingredients (4 portions)
3 skinless boneless chicken breast halves cut in cubes
½ cup of milk
80 grams of flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3-4 tablespoons of carthame oil (or grapeseed, peanut, or else!)
¾ cup water (reserve 1 tablespoon of it to dulute the corn starch)
1 tablespoon corn starch
½ cup honey
¼ cup soya sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Crushed strong peppers (go with your taste and tolerence... I've put app. ¼ teaspoon)
1 tablespoon roasted sesame oil
Roasted sesame seeds (optional)
Preparation
Put the chicken cubes in a bowl, add milk and let stand for at least 20 minutes (or up to 2 hours), then drain, without drying them;
Mix the flour and the baking powder, then coat the cubes liberally;
Pour the oil anti-adhesive frying pan, and sauté the chicken cubes over hight heat, until they are well cooked and crusty (approx. 10 minutes), then withdraw them;
Pour the water in the pan (including a portion in which you have diluted the corn starch), and then add sauce soya, honey, rice vinegar, strong peppers and ginger, and then quickly bring to a boil to make the sauce thicken;
Add the sesame oil, taste the sauce and add sauce soya and crushed peppers to your taste
Finally, gently incorporate the chicken pieces to coat them in sauce and to re-heat them;
Serve generous portions, decorated with roasted sesame seeds!
Miam! May I remind you that this was cooked by a girl who did not feel like cooking at all? ;-)
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