Dancin with the Deep Fried Demon...Again

It’s just not right to wake up in the mornin’ cravin Sugah Chicken.

There are just some things that are so addictive they make me crazy.  General Tso’s Chicken might as well be crack, cause I would drive over the fool crossin the intersection between me and “Red House” Take Out to get to my fix.

This one dish contains all my devilish pleasures. 

Deep Fried - well...heck yeah!

Sweet – (3/4 cup of sugah goes in that glaze…I saw him throw it in when the wok was hot and I must say that  it was both disturbin’ and titillatin’ at the same time.

Salty, goes without sayin, my hands look like I’m wearin ‘a catcher’s mitt after I’ve finished a single servin and you know I'm gonna have more. (crack) and last but not least...Fire...chili pepper fire in the belly and on the lips..and on down the goozel. 

Maybe I just like things I can’t spell or pronounce…or powerful and exotic men with an Asian flair…maybe all of the above.  All I know is I wish I had never met the General.

 Even when I manage to eat just a single helpin', just knowin’ it’s in the house….I can hear it call my name.  It’s double wrapped and put in the back of the fridge and I can still hear it, it's in the freezer, oh I can zap it in the microwave in a flash…I can hear it outside in the trash, even after I have poured dish washin’ detergent on it to drown it…I can hear it and wonder if the liquid had gotten to the bottom…wonder if I can wash it off.  Wonder if Red House is still open.  It's that bad...that sad.

I have no shame, no control over my  sweet-salty-spicy-deep-fried demons. 

I told VerDell, I know, sure as they placed additives in cigarettes (which I put down without a blink over 25 years ago) there must be something in General Tsu’s Chicken that weakens the mind and poisons the soul.  Don’t get me started...I can't put the bad boy down.

I memorized his faults:  Here's the ugly truth

Nutritional Facts for General Tso's Chicken

 For a single servin, and you know you can't have just one....

•  Calories 434.6
•  Calories from Fat 48
•  Cholesterol 132.2 mg
•  Sodium 1893.0 mg
•  Total Carbohydrate 45.8 g
•  Dietary Fiber 1.2 g
•  Sugars 20.4 g 
•  Protein 41.5 g 

and yet I crave him still!

If you love him...perhaps you can somehow fix him...turn him into someone you would share with others...I know there is a way...but it's always better when it's bad!

General Tsu's Chicken

Ingredients

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

2 cups green onions, sliced

8 small dried chilies, seeds removed ( bird pepper or thai chilies are good)

Cornstarch slurry

1/4 cup soy sauce, low sodium preferred

1 eggs, beaten

1 cup cornstarch

Sauce

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup sherry wine or 1/4 cup white wine

14 1/2 ounces chicken broth ( a can)

Directions

1. Place sauce ingredients in a quart jar with a lid and shake to mix. If you make this ahead of time just refrigerate until needed, shaking it again when you are ready to use it. This also keeps your dirty dishes down.
2. Mix cornstarch slurry in a large bowl- the mixture will be strange but trust me it works. It will be VERY thick almost paste like. Add chicken pieces to coat. Using a fork remove ONE chicken piece at a time and let the excess mixture drip off. YES even though the mixture has a weird consistency it will not stick like paste and the excess will drip off. Add chicken to the hot (350 degree) oil and fry until crispy. Only cook 7 or 8 chicken pieces at a time. You do not want to lower the temp of the oil by cooking too many at a time. You can use a simple cooking or candy thermometer to judge the temp of the oil.
3. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm- I just put them in the oven with the oven off. Repeating until all chicken is fried.
4. In a separate wok or large skillet add a small amount of oil and heat to 400 degrees. Again, a candy thermometer works great. You can fry all the chicken, drain the oil to the desired amount and use the same pan if you like.
5. Add green onions and hot peppers and stir fry about 30 seconds.
6. Stir sauce mixture, and then add to pan with onions and peppers, cook until thick. If it gets too thick, add a little water. The thickness of the sauce should be similar to what you get when ordering this at a restaurant.
7. Add chicken to sauce in wok, and cook until all is hot and bubbly. The quicker this is done the crispier the chicken stays.
8. Serve over rice. (Preferably Bubba's Fried Garlic Rice)

More Pie

When it comes to making cakes and pies, there are two kinds of folks in this world: cooks and bakers. So for those who know me, it goes without sayin' that I’m a cook.  For me, recipes are mere suggestions that if followed, will no doubt give me a predictable and perfectly edible outcome time and time again.  If, and this is a big if, I also sprinkle in obedience, exactness and patience; all of which I tend to run consistently short on.   I have to admit, that when it comes to bakin’ a cake, the recipe is gospel.  While I know the rules and the science, the devil usually gets the best of me and the cake falls!

Lately,  I’m startin' to find out that pies are different, they’re much more forgivin' and most even thrive on bein' cheated a teaspoon or two.   The other night Tadius cooked one; a coconut cream that ended up bein' eaten with a spoon, but you know, it didn’t matter, it was like puddin’ with a  crust and not one person complained. 

But I digress; all this is just to say that in this crazy world, sometimes our most trusted recipe fails us and we have no idea why.  Sometimes it just happens.  Science, gospel, tradition, it’s all subject to tamperin'.  But whatever fails you, try actin more like pie.

___________________________________________________

From: Lera Randall

Date: Sun, Nov 6, 2011 at 4:09 PM

Subject: Fwd: Chocolate Chess Pie

Chocolate Chess Pie

This recipe makes 1 Deep Dish Pie

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients

1 stick of butter

1/4 cup of cocoa

1/4 cup of milk

1 1/2 cups of sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt

In a medium saucepan, melt butter on low heat. Stir in cocoa and

milk until smooth. Take off heat.

In a separate bowl, mix eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt until blended.

Mix cocoa mixture in to the egg mixture until well blended. Pour into Unbaked Deep Dish pie shell.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the middle doesn't shake.

Allow to cool before cutting. ENJOY!! 

Love, Aunt Lera