The Yummy History of Gen. Tso’s Chicken,A staple of modern North American Chinese cuisine, no

The Yummy History of Gen. Tso’s Chicken,A staple of modern North American Chinese cuisine, no Chinese takeout, sit down meal, or buffet is complete without the sweet and spicy General Tso’s Chicken.  While this delectable dish has origins in Hunan Cuisine, today it is as American as apple pie.  Most modern historians trace the origin to General Tso’s Chicken to a Chinese American chef named Peng Chang-Kui.  Born in 1919, Peng was born to an impoverished family in the Hunanese capital Changsha.  When he was a teenager, he was lucky enough to be chosen as an apprentice to the legendary Hunanese chef Cao Jingchen.  Peng became very successful in the culinary business and by the end of World War II he had become the head chef for the Chinese Nationalist Government.In 1949 Communist forces under Mao Tse Tung defeated the Nationalist forces and took over the country.  Peng was evacuated to Taiwan along with the rest of the Nationalist government.  It was then that Chef Peng invented the a dish that would be the precursor to modern Gen. Tso’s Chicken.  The new dish featured battered chicken coated in a very spicy sauce, which like much of Hunan cuisine utilized the chili pepper for its spice . Unlike the dish today, Peng’s original recipe was hardly sweet at all, in fact the recipe didn’t even use any sugar.  Chef Peng named it “General Tso’s Chicken”, after the  Chinese general  Tso Tsung-t'ang (Zuo Zongtang) famous for putting down a number of bloody rebellions in the mid 19th century.  Chef Peng continued his career in Taiwan until 1973 when he moved to the United States.  There he opened his own restaurant on New York’s 44th street, right next to the United Nations Headquarters.  The spot was certainly an ideal location, as his clientele consisted of a number of famous and powerful dignitaries.  His most popular dish; General Tso’s Chicken.  To make the dish more palatable to American tastes, Chef Peng modified his original recipe, toning done the spice of the sauce and making it much sweeter.  The new dish was a big hit, especially with one important government official, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (pictured above with Chef Peng).  Instantly the dish became popular all over New York City as other chefs began to serve it with their cuisine.  After a decade, the dish spread all over America.  Today it is one of the most popular, if not the most popular dish in modern American Chinese restaurants.After making a fortune, Chef Peng moved back to Taiwan.  In 1990 he moved back to his hometown Changsha with the purpose of introducing American style Chinese food to China.  Unfortunately the restaurant failed, as customers complained that the dishes were too sweet. Ingredients:1 pound chicken thighs, boneless1 tablespoon light soy sauce1 egg, lightly beatenfreshly ground black or white pepper, to tasteCornstarch, as neededSauce:2 tablespoons dark soy sauce1 tablespoon rice vinegar2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry1 tablespoon granulated sugar3 tablespoons chicken broth or water1 tablespoon minced ginger2 teaspoons minced garlic2 teaspoons cornstarch for thickening sauce, optionalOther:3 green onions (spring onions, scallions)5 to 10 small dried red chilli peppers, according to taste3 – 4 cups oil for deep-frying and stir-frying, as neededPreparation:1. Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Combine the chicken cubes with the egg, soy sauce, and pepper. Add enough cornstarch to nicely coat the chicken, using cooking chopsticks or your fingers to mix it in.2. Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside. Thinly slice the green onions.3. Heat the oil in a wok to between 350 and 360 degrees Fahrenheit (175 - 180 degrees Celsius). Drop the chicken cubes into the hot oil, a few pieces at a time, and deep-fry until crispy (3 to 4 minutes). Remove the chicken cubes and drain on paper towels.4. Drain and clean out the wok. Heat 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the sliced green onions and the dried chili peppers. Stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds).5. Add the deep-fried chicken cubes back into the wok. Stir-fry until the chicken cubes are browned (about 1 minute).6. Push the chicken up to the sides of the wok. Give the sauce a quick restir and add into the middle of the wok. If you added cornstarch to the sauce, stir it continually for 1 - 2 minutes to thicken.                      7. Mix the sauce with the chicken. Cook and stir for another 2 minutes, stirring, until the chicken is nicely coated with the sauce. Serve immediately. -- source link

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