Making General Tso's Chicken at Home
I'm trying to recreate an old favorite version of General's Chicken that I remember from my student days. I've tried a few different versions that were good but not quite right, and so I'm hoping some SE-ers can help me brainstorm. I know that I want chicken thighs, deep-fried and crispy. The sauce that I'm aiming for is a thick, red, sweet-spicy sauce, and that's where I'm getting stuck. I assume I want soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and thai chiles. And probably some garlic and ginger. Maybe hoisin? Does anyone have any other ideas for what would make a good General's sauce?
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8 Comments:
I think some siracha for the heat in the sauce would be the right flavor profile.
annabanannas at 9:18AM on 02/13/09
Definitely add some hoisin sauce. I just made General Tso's the other day from a recipe without hoisin and upon first bite I said "I should've added some hoisin".
llkoolaid at 11:38AM on 02/13/09
usually cornstarch in those sauces.... that's what makes it cling to the chicken....
pooch at 3:51PM on 02/13/09
I love hoisin as much as the next guy, but I've never had in good General Tao's.
I've made this recipe many times and it's really good: http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/asia/chinese/chicken/00/rec0013.html
SqueezeBottle at 4:00PM on 02/13/09
Or try arrowroot instead of cornstarch. Some of the best Asian sauces I've made use this instead.
pearl at 5:56PM on 02/13/09
I worked in a asian restaurant and I know they used ketchup with the other sauce items
WSLunch at 7:22PM on 02/13/09
When I make mine I like to add sherry , corn starch and dark soy along with the other stuff listed above.
pjracz10 at 11:25PM on 02/13/09
I've used Fuschia Dunlop's recipe, found on Serious Eats, several times and it always gets rave reviews. The sauce is thick and has that sweet-spicy quality without being cloying like most American Chinese places.
http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2007/02/recipe-fuchsia-dunlops-general.html
Charise at 3:09PM on 02/16/09