Yesterday I was in the mood to try a new recipe. After browsing the latest two issues of Cooks Ill, I decided to try “orange chicken”. Okay, I’m under no illusions that this dish constitutes real Chinese food. But, it happens to be one that I really like and have tried at a number of Chinese restaurants, usually to great disappointment. A local Chinese restaurant did a fabulous version of this dish, but that place has been closed for some two years now, and I’ve yet to find a suitable substitute. I’ve even gone searching for recipes on the net before, and tried one several months ago that was… not a success. So, I was eager to see what Cooks did with this dish, and if it would live up to my hopes and memories.
The short answer is, it was an unqualified success! I steamed some fresh broccoli to go with it, along with the obligatory white rice and we had a very happy meal of it all. I’ve already re-written the recipe in the “house format”, and made some changes to it for the next revision. I’d like a little more heat in the dish, so I increased the cayenne pepper in the batter and the sauce. If that proves insufficient, I might want to try some pepper oil. I also scaled back the overall quantity of chicken, since I’m usually cooking for two, not a table of six. I would like the sauce to be a bit less cloyingly sweet and a little stronger on the orange, so I’ve adjusted accordingly. And I have some ideas about a very quick dip in the oil for the orange peel and the peppers in the sauce, to give them some crisp and texture. I’ll try the modified recipe again in three weeks to see how the changes play out, but either way this recipe is definitely a keeper. I am especially pleased with how greasy it wasn’t. Getting the oil to the right temperature and dealing with smaller pieces of meat makes all the difference.
However, last night’s dinner did remind me how not fond of broccoli I am. Maybe I’ll try a quick stir fry green bean side dish next time.
I wonder when Cooks will tackle Hot and Sour Soup?
This sounds very delicious. I’d love to have your altered recipe. Please.
sounds yummy…
Down here there is one restaurant that makes orange *beef* just right. It’s on the other side of town from both my work and my home, which is possible if you realize that “town” is an irregular polyhedron, adjustable to the mood of the person driving. Care to share your modified recipe?