General Tao's Chicken (Le Piment Rouge)

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Title: General Tao's Chicken (Le Piment Rouge)
Categories: Poultry
Yield: 4 servings

10 oz Chicken Legs, deboned 2 tb Sugar
2 c Soya Oil 2 tb Soy Sauce
1 tb Ginger Root, minced 1 1/2 ts Vinegar
2 ea Scallions, chopped 2 tb Cornstarch
1 tb Garlic, minced 1/4 c Chicken Stock
2 tb Dry Chili Pepper 1 ts Sesame Oil

----------------------------------MARINADE----------------------------------
1 ea Egg White 1 tb Soy Sauce
1 tb Cornstarch

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.

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