General Tsao's Chicken

It is one of my personal challenges to re-create restaurant style Chinese dishes at home. I had been working on this particular dish for a while now and finally I got it! I proudly present 'General Tsao's Chicken' at home!

For the chicken you need:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast pieces - cut into 1 inch squares

3 tablespoons cup cornstarch

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Mix up all the ingredients except for the oil and marinate for around 20 minutes. Fry in 1/4 cup vegetable oil till chicken is cooked, drain and set aside. Since these are not deep-fried, you have to be careful that the chicken pieces do not stick to each other as they cook. So fry in two batches if you're using a medium sized frying pan, spoon in the chicken piece by piece when you add it to the pan, and use your spoon to separate out any pieces that stick together.

2.5 teaspoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginge

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1/4 cup chopped (into large squares) onion

1/2 cup water

3 tablespoons white vinegar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon cornflour

1 tablespoon soy sauce

3 tablespoons oyster sauce

3 tablespoons ketchup

For the sauce, use the same oil that you used to fry the chicken. Reduce the heat to medium and add the sesame seeds, ginger, and both onions. As the ginger browns and the onions become limp, pour in the water, vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, dissolve the cornflour in the soy sauce and add to the simmering water. Mix well because the cornflour will begin clumping otherwise. If you feel that it has become too thick you can add more water if you want to.

Mix in the oyster sauce and ketchup and stir till the mixture is smooth. Add the chicken and serve hot with plain rice or fried rice!