Crispy General Tso's Chicken with Dried Chilies

What you need

• 700 g (1 1/2 lb) boneless chicken thighs, skinless, cut into 3 cm pieces
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce, for the marinade
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 egg, beaten
• 60 g (1/2 cup) cornstarch, for coating
• 1 l (4 cups) vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce, for the sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) chicken stock
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp cornstarch, for the sauce
• 8 dried red chilies, whole
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 2 scallions, whites and greens sliced separately
• 1 tsp sesame seeds, for garnish

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Toss the chicken with 1 tbsp light soy sauce, the Shaoxing wine and the egg. Leave for 15 min.

2. 2

   For the sauce, stir together the remaining light soy sauce, the dark soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, hoisin, stock, sesame oil and 1 tbsp cornstarch in a bowl.

3. 3

   Add the coating cornstarch to the chicken and toss until each piece has a dry, craggy crust.

4. 4

   Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or deep pan to 175 °C (350 °F).

5. 5

   Fry the chicken in 2-3 batches, turning, until pale golden and cooked through with no pink inside, 4-5 min. Drain on a rack.

6. 6

   Heat the oil to 190 °C (375 °F) and fry all the chicken a second time until deep golden and very crisp, 1-2 min. Drain again.

7. 7

   Pour off all but 1 tbsp of oil. Over medium heat, fry the dried chilies until they darken slightly, 20-30 seconds.

8. 8

   Add the garlic, ginger and scallion whites and stir for 30 seconds.

9. 9

   Stir the sauce again, pour it into the wok and cook, stirring, until thick and glossy, about 1 min.

10. 10

    Tip in the chicken and toss fast to coat. Scatter with the scallion greens and sesame seeds and serve at once.

Imported from natashaskitchen.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.