Three-Course 'Chinese' Dinner, Part II

Don't I *wish*!

(Continued from Part I)

For the entree, here is my husband's favorite. It takes a long time to make, but it's worth it.

General Tao's Chicken-serves 6

2 pounds chicken breasts-boneless, skinless and cut into small pieces

2 eggs

½ cup green onion, chopped

½ cup water

½ cup sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

¼ distilled white vinegar

¼ cup ketchup

¼ cup oyster sauce

¼ cup, 2 tbsp corn starch

6 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tbsp fresh ginger root, grated

2 tbsp soy sauce

4 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

Coat the chicken in ¼ cup of corn starch and put to the side.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, salt and pepper until smooth. Add the baking powder and flour and stir until there are no more large lumps. Add the chicken and stir until evenly coated.

Then, heat the vegetable oil in a skillet or wok on high. Add the chicken pieces and cook until it is completely white on the inside and golden brown on the outside. Set aside. Reduce heat to medium-high and add the ginger, sesame oil and green onion. Cook for about 1 minute, or until the ginger starts to turn brown and the onions are limp. Add water, sugar and vinegar and bring to a boil. Now, dissolve the corn starch in the soy sauce and stir into the vinegar mixture. Add the ketchup and oyster sauce and stir until the sauce thickens and turns clear. Add the chicken and simmer until it's hot enough and serve.

And now, here is a 'Chinese' dessert that is definitely an American creation. A friend of mine once told me that she never saw one until her family moved to this country and opened up a Chinese restaurant.

Fortune Cookies-makes 24

1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

1/3 cup egg whites

7 tbsp vegetable oil

6 tbsp white sugar

3 tbsp water

2 tbsp corn starch

¼ tsp salt

You'll also need a muffin pan and cotton non-stick gloves.

Preheat the oven to 300 F. Write your 'fortunes' on strips of paper-3”x1/2” is a good size. Cover a cookie sheet with foil.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, corn starch and salt. Then, add the egg whites and oil and stir until smooth. Add the water gradually and stir until just blended. Drop a level tablespoon of batter onto the sheet for each of 6 cookies. Spread the batter evenly into a 4” circle. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Put on your gloves. Working very quickly-

Using a wide spatula, remove one cookie at a time from the oven. Flip the cookie onto your hand, hold fortune in the center of the cookie and fold it in half. Now, take the ends of the cookie and gently fold down over the edge of the muffing pan, creasing the center of the cookie. Points down, fit it into the muffin pan and hold until it cools.

If you're not sure what to write for your 'fortunes'-

http://quotes.yourdictionary.com/articles/funny-fortune-cookie-sayings.html

http://staceygustafson.com/funny-fortune-cookies-you-must-read/.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/funny-fortune-cookies

Enjoy!!