In this show I will teach you how to make General Tso’s chicken, Beef with broccoli and potstickers. You will also be introduced to two of the three Chinese Mother sauces and the tenderizing technique. I spent alot of time researching these recipes and techniques and I hope you enjoy learning and eating them as I had researching them.
This is an authentic recipe taken from a famous Chinese restaurant in Fremont California. I
feel very fortunate to have been able to go into this restaurant for several weeks to observe
and try a few things out. After developing these recipes I had the Chef come down and
cooked the food for her to ensure that I got it right. There are three major parts to the recipe.
Tenderizing the meat, Making the sauce, making the finished dish. I always wondered how
they made the meat so tender, after watching the tenderizing process I fully understood.
They also add a small amount of baking soda which breaks down the connective tissues. The
“ Mother Sauce “ Yu shong was simple to make and very tasty. When I first went to the
restaurant I had no idea that they used “mother sauces “ They have three of these white,
brown and yu shong. With these sauces you can pretty make up to 75% of all dishes made in
a Chinese restaurant.
Tenderizing Process Chicken
Small batch chicken light meat
1# Sliced chicken breast
¼ tsp Salt
1/8 tsp White pepper
½ tsp Baking soda
Place meat in bowl. Add all ingredients and mix until incorporated. Pick the meat up and
slam into bowl 10-15 times, don’t worry you won’t break it.
1 Egg white
Add in egg and mix until fully incorporated. Again pick the meat up and slam into bowl 10-
15 times.
1 Tbs Water
1/2C Corn starch
Add in slurry and mix until fully incorporated. Pick the meat up and slam into bowl 10-15
times.
1 Tbs oil
Add in Oil and mix until fully incorporated.
Store mixture overnight, you can also hold this for immediate use.
Yu Shong sauce
1C Kikkoman soy sauce
1/8C Pearl River dark soy sauce
1 1/4C Sugar
¾C Rice Vinegar
3Tbs Black vinegar
¼ C Rice wine
1/8 C Ground ginger
1/8 C Ground garlic
½ tsp White pepper
½ tsp Ground toasted Szechuan peppercorns
Method:
Mix all ingredients together. Let sit overnight.
General Tso’s Chicken
8 oz Tenderized chicken
1 Tbs Oil
2 dry, fried chilies
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
6 oz Yu shong sauce
4 oz Blanched broccoli (do not add salt to blanching water)
Slurry as needed ( cornstarch and water )
Method:
Place chicken in the deep fryer at 300F and cook until golden brown. Make sure you
move the chicken around or it will stick to the fryer. Remove from oil and place in a bowl
with absorbent paper. Put aside. Put one T of oil in the wok and add in chilis, garlic and
ginger and cook until very aromatic. Be careful not to burn! Add in sauce, stir until garlic
and ginger is fully incorporated. Thicken with the slurry. Add in meat and stir until the
sauce coats the meat. Add the broccoli and stir until the broccoli is fully covered by the
sauce. Serve with pork fried rice.
Legend
Tbs=Tablespoon tsp=teaspoon
C=Cup oz= ounces
Potstickers
Makes about 30 dumplings
Ingredients:
30 Pot sticker wrappers, round and thin
Stuffing:
6 oz Ground pork
1tsp Finely chopped fresh ginger
1/2Tbs Rice wine or dry sherry
1/2Tbs Dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp Light soy sauce
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2Tbs Finely chopped green onions
1 tsp Sesame oil
1/2 tsp Sugar
For the cooking:
1 Tbs Canola oil
½ Cup Chicken stock
1Tbs Soy sauce
Method:
Stuffing:
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together until fully
incorporated.
Wrapping:
Place about 2 tsp of the filling in the center wrapper. Put a thin coat of water on the
edges then fold the dough in half and pinch together with your fingers. Pleat around the edge,
pinching to seal well. Place the finished dumpling on a ½ sheet pan with parchment paper.
Keep it covered or freeze until ready to use. In a large sauté pan add 1 T of oil and heat until
it smokes. Place the dumplings flat side down into the pan. Lower the heat and cook for
approximately 1 minute or until they are lightly browned. Add the chicken stock and the soy
sauce, cover the pan tightly and simmer gently for about 8 minutes. Chefs note: do not let
this dry out, add more stock if needed. Uncover the pan and continue to cook for an
additional 2 minutes. Serve.
Legend
Tbs=Tablespoon tsp=teaspoon
C=Cup oz= ounces