![]() My version tried to stay as close as possible to Peng’s orignal version, without adding any sugar but added vinegar following Hunan culinary rules. In terms of taste, Peng’s dish was Hunanese, but not in terms of form. First deep-frying chicken then stir-frying in a wet sauce is not a feature of Hunan Xiang Cuisine, but more of coastal cuisines like Cantonese (Goloyok 咕噜肉) or Shanghainese (fried sweet pork ribs 糖醋排骨). However, Chef Cao actually learnt his skills in Shanghai. ![]() Apparently, Chef Peng learnt his skills from a renown Chef Cao Jinchen 曹藎臣, also an exile from Hunan. Third, Peng’s original recipe was not Hunanese either. Which is why Peng condemns the Americanisation of his dish. Salty is the primary taste of the chicken, so chili and sweet cannot be its secondary taste, while chili and sour can. ![]() The secondary taste of your dish, be it a sauce, a paired vegetable or another meat, cannot overtake the primary taste and the pairing has to be set within thirty-three different permutations. In short, there are five primary tastes for the main ingredient of your dish: salty, sweet, bitter, chili hot, sour. I will write another blog post about this when I have the chance. Yet Hunan Cuisine has a strict taste pairing structure. Modern Hunan cuisine is known to be the cousin of Sichuan cuisine – they are the only two Chinese cuisines that use chilies, the rest do not. Second, Hunan Cuisine (or ‘Xiang Cuisine’) does not allow for sweet to be paired with salty. My version is an attempt to make the dish Hunanese again.įirst, Peng’s original version does not have a bed of broccoli. This recipe however, is not your regular General Tso’s Chicken you get in the US. That was the crucial reason why General Tso’s Chicken – American Style – took off in the US in the early eighties. The crucial difference is that Americans love fried food and they love anything sweet. He modified it to suit American palate, which is why this guy did better than Peng when Peng tried to bring his original version to the US himself. That being said, the thief did not steal his recipe wholesale. The recipe was actually stolen from Peng and brought to the US right at the time when Americans were getting mad about Chinese food. You’ll have to watch out for this in the movie, as there is an exciting story behind it. Both being national heros, Premier Jiang shares the same taste as Earl Zuo.Īfter he retired from his services, Peng Changgui opened up a restaurant called Peng Gardens 彭園, which continued to be frequented by army veterans who also liked it because it was a favourite of Premier Jiang. Peng, being a Hunanese, came up with a lie: it was a favourite chicken dish of Zuo Zongtang. Apparently Premier Jiang loved it and he asked Peng what dish it was. He took the bones off the drumsticks and deep-fried them before stir-frying them with dried chilies, a key ingredient in Modern Hunanese cuisine. The only meat left was some chicken drumsticks and Peng had to make do with it. Back in the seventies, he was cook at the Premier’s residence, and the Premier then was Jiang Jingguo 蔣經國 (Chiang Ching-kuo).Īccording to Peng, Premier Jiang arrived home late one night and asked for food. One such cook was Mr Peng Changgui 彭長貴, a Hunanese. When the army of the Republic of China retreated to Taiwan, their cooks and servants followed. ![]() This bit might come as a shock: this dish was actually invented in Taiwan, not in the US. For all Hunanese, there has never been any other hero but Zuo, and there never will be. He was and still is celebrated in his native Hunan province for being a national hero, after crushing the Taiping Revolution and invading Xinjiang bringing it under Manchu Chinese rule. General Tso was actually an Earl called Zuo Zongtang 左宗棠 who lived in Qing Dynasty China from 1812-1885. Contrary to expectations, he was a real person. First of all, the identity of General Tso is crucial. I will leave you to watch the movie but here are some essentials I’d like to point out to explain my recipe. I strongly recommend this movie for every foodie and every history buff! The movie also showcases the sufferings of American Chinese, and how in order to survive, they opened up Chinese restaurants across the country serving up a version of Chinese cuisine that exists only in America. In the film, Cheney and his best friend tried to look for the origins of General Tso’s Chicken – which to everyone’s surprise is completely unknown in China. This dish was inspired by the movie “ The Search for General Tso” (2014) directed by Ian Cheney. It’s ironic that my first post about a Hunan (Xiang) dish is not known or recognised in Hunan at all, but it is the best known Chinese dish across the whole of the United States. ![]()
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