Cooking Dangerously: Webisode 1

If anyone knows me, they know that I simply love cooking. After a stressful day or a crappy one, I like to relax by just going into my kitchen and letting myself completely loose. There's nothing better than smelling sweet aromas shifting throughout your home to lift up your spirits. So with all that being said, I am starting a brand new tradition called "Cooking Dangerously"; I know, not very original but hey, we cannot be clever all the time now, can we? What are going to be "Cooking Dangerously Episodes", you ask? Well, sometimes I will post one of my favorite recipes, whether it is entrées or dessert.

To kickoff one of the many "Cooking Dangerously Episodes" to come, today I will talk about Restaurant-style orange chicken. This recipe is from crepesofwrath.net and it is the most delicious orange chicken I have ever tasted in my whole entire life. I simply adore asian food and this is my go-to dish whenever I eat out; but you never know exactly what ingredients they put in their recipe, and since it's better to eat healthy and cook at home rather than to eat out, I searched high and low for the ultimate recipe, and I must admit I was not disappointed. At first I must admit that I was very anxious to make this dish; I've never made fried food and I didn't want to risk burning my whole house down but I took my courage into both hands and I made this last night. Mainly because I was missing going to chinese restaurants with my mum; it was our tradition whenever there was cause to celebrate, we went to this little chinese restaurant near our home. Let's just say I was in a nostalgic mood yesterday so to bring my mood back up, I decided to make this dish; granted it took me nearly two hours but two hours is nothing compared to the 20-minute bliss I experienced afterwards. I look very forward to making this dish time and time again; here's to not spending my very few last bills on overpriced restaurant bills and the thrill of knowing you can easily recreate this. Hope you enjoy making it as much as I did.

Here's the full recipe: Restaurant style Orange Chicken

2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
oil for frying, enough to fill a pot or wok with 1 inch of oil

1 tablespoon ginger, minced (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (1 1/2 teaspoon if you like it 1extra spicy)
1/4 cup green onion, sliced (about 3 or 4 green onions)
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup water mixed with 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Sauce
5 tablespoons soy sauce
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
zest of 1 orange
juice of 2 oranges

1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Combine with the egg, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of oil. Add in the cornstarch and flour (I found it easiest to mix this together with [clean] hands).

2. In a wok or a pot, heat enough canola or vegetable oil for frying (about an inch deep in the pot/wok) over high heat for 5 minutes, then turn the heat down to medium-high. Add the chicken to the oil in batches, cooking each batch for about 8-10 minutes until cooked through (take one piece out and slice it open to check that it’s cooked). Remove the chicken from the oil with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on a plate covered lined with paper towels. Set aside until ready to toss in the sauce. It’s okay if the chicken cools a bit; it’ll get heated up again.

3. In a separate pot, add in the ginger, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, green onions, 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil. Stir fry for about five minutes, until fragrant. Combine the sauce ingredients and add them to the onion mixture. Bring everything to a light boil, then add in the 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup of water. Heat everything until is starts to thicken a bit, about 3-4 minutes, then add in the fried chicken pieces. Toss to coat, and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes until the sauce is as thick as you’d like it to be. Serve with rice and/or vegetables.