Title: General Tao's Chicken (Le Piment Rouge)
Categories: Poultry
Yield: 4 Servings
| 10 | oz | Chicken Legs, deboned |
| 2 | c | Soya Oil |
| 1 | tb | Ginger Root, minced |
| 2 | | Scallions, chopped |
| 1 | tb | Garlic, minced |
| 2 | tb | Dry Chili Pepper |
| 2 | tb | Sugar |
| 2 | tb | Soy Sauce |
| 1 1/2 | ts | Vinegar |
| 2 | tb | Cornstarch |
| 1/4 | c | Chicken Stock |
| 1 | ts | Sesame Oil |
| MARINADE |
| 1 | | Egg White |
| 1 | tb | Cornstarch |
| 1 | tb | Soy Sauce |
For the best results use skinned deboned legs of capon. Cut the chicken
into pieces no larger than 1 inch square. Prepare marinade by combining egg
white, cornstarch and 1 tablespoon soy sauce in a large bowl. Add chicken
pieces and set aside for two hours. In a deep pot, heat the oil until it
reaches 350 degrees. In a basket, or with a slotted spoon, lower several
marinated chicken pieces into the fat. Fry about one or two minutes or
until the chicken becomes crisp; test for doneness before completing the
batch. Continue until all pieces have been fried. Set oil and cooked
chicken pieces aside. In a wok, on high heat, reheat two tablespoons of the
reserved oil. Add prepared ginger, scallions, garlic and chili peppers.
Stir to prevent burning. Add the fried chicken and stir quickly.Add sugar,
soy sauce, vinegar and cornstarch mixed with chicken stock. Remove from the
heat and stir sesame oil into the sauce. Spoon the mixture on to a hot
platter and serve immediately with steamed rice. Serves 4. Hazel Mah who
owns Le Piment Rouge Windsor (translation: Red Pepper) and Le Piment Rouge
Laurier graciously agreed to share the recipe for the popular dish. This
dish dates back to the Chin Dynasty and is named for General Tao, a
governor of the northern Chinese province of Hunan. According to legend,
the old general ate nothing but poultry and this dish was his favourite. Le
Piment Rouge Windsor, 1170 Peel in Montreal. From The Gazette, 91/02/27.