Ching-He Huang’s Chinese Fakeaway
Posted by Ching-He Huang on 27 February 2012 in BBC Food, Chinese cuisine, Chinese Food, Chinese Food in Minutes, Chinese Food Made Easy, Ching's Fast Food, Ching-He Huang, Good Food Channel
A warm welcome to our guest blogger Ching-He Huang. Ching is a Taiwanese-born British food writer, food entrepreneur and TV chef who has hosted and appeared on many UK TV shows, including Ching’s Kitchen on the Good Food Channel and Chinese Food in Minutes on Five.
Ching has also has written several best-selling cookery books, including Ching’s Fast Food (HarperCollins). You can read more about Ching and her love of traditional Chinese cuisine at chinghehuang.com.
Ching-He Huang’s Chinese Fakeaway
The humble Friday night takeaway is an institution across the globe. From China and Australia, to the US and Europe, despite our cultural differences, many of us are united in our love of the sacred takeout.
There is a greater takeaway menu choice than ever before, but before we tuck into our chilli beef, curry or pizza, do we stop to think whether the meat we’re eating is ethically reared, or if the tomatoes in the sauce have flown thousands of miles, or if the rice farmers that grow the rice for our curry are paid a fair wage and given rights to their land?
Despite many restaurants adopting a more ethical approach to their menus, our only reassurance that we know what we’re eating is to buy our own ingredients from sustainable sources and to make it ourselves. This way it’s healthier, fresher, tastier – and it’s easy to do too!
One of my favourite takeaway dishes is General Tso’s Chicken – there are variations of this recipe all over the world and here’s my version from Ching’s Fast Food.
General Tso’s Chicken
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook in: 9 minutes | Serves: 2–4 to share
Ingredients
2 skinless free range chicken breasts, cut
into 1.5cm (58 in) cubes
Salt and ground white pepper
1 tbsp of potato flour or cornflour
1 tbsp of groundnut oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
4 dried red chillies
1 tbsp of Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry
4 spring onions, chopped into 2.5cm (1in) lengths
For the sauce
1 tbsp of yellow bean sauce
1 tbsp of light soy sauce
1 tbsp of tomato ketchup
1 tbsp of chilli sauce
1 tsp of soft light brown sugar or runny honey
1 tsp of dark soy sauce
1. Place the chicken in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the potato flour or cornflour and mix well. Place the ingredients for the sauce in another bowl and stir together.
2. Heat a wok over a high heat until it starts to smoke and then add the groundnut oil. Add the garlic and dried chillies and fry for a few seconds, then tip in the chicken pieces and stir-fry for 2 minutes. As the chicken starts to turn opaque, add the rice wine or dry sherry. Cook for another 2 minutes, then pour in the sauce and bring to the boil.
3. Cook the chicken in the sauce for a further 2 minutes or until it is cooked through and the sauce has reduced and thickened and is slightly sticky. Add the spring onions and cook for just under 1 minute, then transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately.
Guest blogger Ching-He Huang has written this post exclusively for Oxfam on Tour.