Showing posts with label asian fusion. Show all posts

Slow-Cooked General Tso's Chicken



I found this recipe on a blog called Host the Toast, and I thought it looked so tasty that I had to try it. There pictures made it look way better than takeout. I was sceptical that I would be able to do it myself, but I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Make sure you check out more from Host the Toast; so many of their recipes look amazing. I did not change their recipe at all except for the measurements, which I converted into metric and the amount (by halving the serving). If you are in the US make sure to check out their recipe so you do not need to convert anything back to cups. Also, the original recipe calls for 4 hour cooking time. Depending on your slow cooker it may take less time or even longer. Mine only took about 3 hours on low, so around the 3 hour mark check the sauce consistency. It may be finished already!

My rating of this recipe: 4.5/5

Comment: The slow cooker takes away from of the crispiness of the chicken, but otherwise it was delicious! Perhaps my oil was not hot enough though. The steps were very easy to follow and their pictures were great.

Ingredients 

500g of chicken breast, diced into 3cm pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp of sea salt 
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil 
75g of cornflour 
1/4 tsp of pepper 
55g of sugar
60ml of soy sauce
60ml of pineapple juice (other commenters said orange juice worked great too) 
3 tablespoons of white wine or apple cider vinegar 
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper 
1/4 tsp of ginger (dried)

Preparation 
  1. Combine the cornflour, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Coat the chicken pieces in the mix, shake them off to get rid of any excess flour and then set them aside. 
  2. Heat a 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan. Brown the chicken pieces on a high heat (turn half way through, approx. 2 minutes per side). NB: You may need to add more oil if you are using a small pan and need to work in batches. 
  3. Let the pieces cool on a plate lines with power towels. 
  4. To the slow cooker, add the sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, ginger and cayenne. Mix everything together. 
  5. Add the chicken and cook on low for 3-4 hours. 
  6. If you find the sauce is not thick enough, add some cornflour mixed with water. Then let it cook for another 20 minutes. I did not need to do this though! 
  7. Serve with rice, broccoli and spring onion. 
  8. Enjoy! 
asian fusion asian inspired broccoli
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Recipe Review: Soy-Gin Salmon with Almond Fried Rice



A combination like this is an excellent example of why Asian fusion food works. This recipe is closely based on the Ming Tsai's recipe which can be found here. The main difference is that I half the rice, replace the sake with gin and bake the salmon in the oven. I am sure this dish would be delicious with sake as well; however, gin was all that I had on hand. Vodka or a dry white wine would work as well. As good as the salmon is I think the almond fried rice is the star. With that in mind, a serving the rice with glazed vegetables would be a delicious vegetarian option.



 Ingredients 
4 salmon fillets
4 medium eggs
118ml of soy sauce (light or low sodium works fine)
118ml of gin
2 tbsp honey
juice from 2 limes
40g of almonds, toasted and slivered
Salt and black pepper, to taste
6 tbsp of cooking oil
1 tbsp of minced ginger, a piece of root ginger about the size of your thumb
6-8 small scallions
1 tbsp of unsalted butter
195g of rice, cooled

Cooking Time 
  1. Put the salmon in an oven dish. 
  2. In a small bowl or beaker, combine the lime juice, honey, soy sauce and gin. 
  3. Stir the mixture and pour over the salmon. 
  4. Marinade the salmon in the fridge from 15 minutes to an hour and a half. The longer you marinade the fish, the saltier it will be. The soy flavour is very time sensitive. An hour is probably optimal. 
  5. Preheat the oven to 200C. 
  6. Line a plate with paper towels. 
  7. Heat 4 tbsp of oil in a large pan or wok. Once the oil is very hot, on the point of emitting steam, add the eggs. 
  8. Quickly whisk the eggs until it is scrambled, light and fluffy. 
  9. Pour the egg onto the paper-lined plate. Set aside. 
  10. Remove the marinade from the oven dish and the put the salmon in the oven. It should bake for about 15-20 depending on the size of the fillets. 
  11. Saute the scallions and ginger until the scallions have softened. 
  12. Add the egg, rice and almonds and combine with the scallions and ginger. 
  13. Add 1 tbsp of soy sauce and salt and pepper. Add more soy sauce if you like, but keep in mind that the sauce (made from the marinade) will be very salty. 
  14. The rice can rest whilst you pour the marinade into a separate pan. 
  15. Reduce the marinade until you have cooked all the alcohol out the gin. If you are in doubt, simply taste and see if it tastes of alcohol. When it has reduced by about half, add the butter. Stir in until the sauce is nice and glossy. 
  16. Serve the salmon, with the rice and sauce. 
alcohol asian fusion asian recipe
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