From: njs@scifi.uucp (Nicholas J. Simicich)
Subject: Re: ReQuesT: Orange Chicken
Organization: Nick Simicich, Peekskill, NY
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 19:36:50 GMT

In article <9208110705.AA17841@worf> dlou@ece.UCSD.EDU (Dennis Lou) writes:
>
>For some strange reason, I have a sudden desire to make Orange Chicken
>as is made at our local (pseudo) Chinese restaurants here in San Diego.
>
>Unfortunately, I have not been able to find the recipe in any of the
>cook books at our local book store.
>
>Can someone please help me out?  Thanks.

I asked about this in Chinese cooking class a while back.  This is an
adaptation of it as I remember:

(For about 8 ounces of thin sliced beef.)

Make a batterlike misture of cornstarch and egg, and a little soy (not
much).  Fry beef (small slices) dipped in this batter until golden
brown and crusty.  You may wish to flavor the oil with orange peel
(see below).   

Now we are going to flavor a little oil.  Take about two tablespoons
of oil, heat it in your wok.  Toss in about a tablespoon of sechuan
peppercorns, and be prepared to fetch it out almost immediately with a
slotted spoon as it will brown and give up flavor to the oil rapidly.
Now add an appropriate amount of whole dried red peppers (you've seen
them in the dishes you eat in restaurants, sort of blackened - that is
from the frying).  Also add a couple of star anise, and some orange
peel.  I can find dried orange peel in the oriental groceries around
here, but you might also want to try fresh orange peel if you want a
stronger orange taste.  Once the orange peel is browned, add whatever
vegies you want for the vedetable part of the stir fry.  Small
broccoli florets, wave sliced carrots, thin sliced ginger, snow peas,
and, bean paste.  You add mild bean paste if you like it mild, hot
bean paste if you like it hot, and Chef Chow's bean paste if you like
it like I do.  I won't tell you how much to add, that is a matter of
taste, but I'd look at about a tablespoon.

Finally, you want to look at how crispy you want the beef.  Your
choices are to have the been real crispy, or to have the beef a little
less crispy and more sauce flavored.  I've eaten this dish where I
believe that the beef is added back into the wok at this point, and
also where it is not put back into the wok.  WMMV.

Finally, we add the last minute sauce.  This consists of about 2 TBSP
of waterchestnut powder, tapioca starch, or cornstarch (order of
preference) stirred well into 1/2 cup water with some soy sauce.
Well, maybe 2 TBSP is a little much, I'm unsure about this.  When the
vegies are almost done, either add the beef or not, and add the last
minute sauce.  Adjust the thickness of the sauce after a few minutes.
Also adjust the orange flavor if required) with orange liquor (the
alcoholic stuff) or orange flavoring.  Pour the sauce and vegies over
the beef if you haven't already tossed it in.

>Dennis Lou             || "But Yossarian, what if everyone thought that way?"
>dlou@ucsd.edu          || "Then I'd be crazy to think any other way!"
>[backbone]!ucsd!dlou   |+====================================================
>dlou@ucsd.BITNET       |Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak went to my high school.

Steven Stills and Tom Petty went to mine.

-- 
Nick Simicich - uunet!bywater!scifi!njs - njs@watson.ibm.com
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