War Su Gai is a Chinese-American dish consisting
of deep-fried chicken that is coated with a flavorful
gravy and garnished with almonds. Although not
widely available, it's a specialty in Detroit, Michigan,
Columbus, Ohio, and no doubt a few other areas.
In this version I've used oyster sauce in the marinade
to lend extra flavor to the cooked chicken. Feel free
to vary the vegetables, for example replacing half the
mushrooms with water chestnuts.
Yield: Serves 3 - 4
Ingredients:
* 4 chicken breast halves
*
* Marinade:
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
* Batter:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 teaspoon finely diced green onion
1 large egg
2 – 3 tablespoons water, or as needed to form
a smooth batter
Gravy:
2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms (1 – 1 1/4 cups)
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 tablespoon Rice wine or dry sherry
3 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with enough water
to make a slurry
Other:
Oil as needed for deep-frying
2 leaves Romaine lettuce, thinly sliced, or
as desired
1/4 cup sliced almonds, or to taste
Preparation:
Directions for Making War Su Gai:
Rinse the chicken breasts halves and
pat dry.
Rub the salt, pepper and oyster sauce
over the chicken.
Place in the refrigerator to marinate
while preparing the other ingredients.
To make the batter, combine the
flour, cornstarch, and baking powder
in a bowl, stirring to make sure the
baking powder is mixed in evenly.
Stir in the chopped green onion.
Add the egg, then enough water to make
a smooth batter.
To deep-fry the chicken:
Heat the oil in a wok or electric wok to
375 F.
Coat a chicken breast in the batter, and
then carefully add to the deep-fry oil.
Cook for 6 - 7 minutes on one side, then
turn over and deep-fry on the other side
until the chicken is golden brown and
cooked through - 10 - 15 minutes total.
(You will probably need to cook the
chicken in batches).
Drain the deep-fried chicken on
paper towels or on a tempura rack.
To make the sauce:
bring the chicken broth to a boil on
medium heat.
Add the mushrooms and chopped
celery. Bring to a boil.
Stir in the rice wine or sherry.
Give the cornstarch slurry a quick
re-stir, then pour it in and stir
quickly until the sauce thickens.
To serve, cut the chicken into thin
slices and arrange on the lettuce.
Pour the sauce over and garnish
with the almonds.
*
of deep-fried chicken that is coated with a flavorful
gravy and garnished with almonds. Although not
widely available, it's a specialty in Detroit, Michigan,
Columbus, Ohio, and no doubt a few other areas.
In this version I've used oyster sauce in the marinade
to lend extra flavor to the cooked chicken. Feel free
to vary the vegetables, for example replacing half the
mushrooms with water chestnuts.
Yield: Serves 3 - 4
Ingredients:
* 4 chicken breast halves
*
* Marinade:
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
* Batter:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 teaspoon finely diced green onion
1 large egg
2 – 3 tablespoons water, or as needed to form
a smooth batter
Gravy:
2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms (1 – 1 1/4 cups)
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 tablespoon Rice wine or dry sherry
3 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with enough water
to make a slurry
Other:
Oil as needed for deep-frying
2 leaves Romaine lettuce, thinly sliced, or
as desired
1/4 cup sliced almonds, or to taste
Preparation:
Directions for Making War Su Gai:
Rinse the chicken breasts halves and
pat dry.
Rub the salt, pepper and oyster sauce
over the chicken.
Place in the refrigerator to marinate
while preparing the other ingredients.
To make the batter, combine the
flour, cornstarch, and baking powder
in a bowl, stirring to make sure the
baking powder is mixed in evenly.
Stir in the chopped green onion.
Add the egg, then enough water to make
a smooth batter.
To deep-fry the chicken:
Heat the oil in a wok or electric wok to
375 F.
Coat a chicken breast in the batter, and
then carefully add to the deep-fry oil.
Cook for 6 - 7 minutes on one side, then
turn over and deep-fry on the other side
until the chicken is golden brown and
cooked through - 10 - 15 minutes total.
(You will probably need to cook the
chicken in batches).
Drain the deep-fried chicken on
paper towels or on a tempura rack.
To make the sauce:
bring the chicken broth to a boil on
medium heat.
Add the mushrooms and chopped
celery. Bring to a boil.
Stir in the rice wine or sherry.
Give the cornstarch slurry a quick
re-stir, then pour it in and stir
quickly until the sauce thickens.
To serve, cut the chicken into thin
slices and arrange on the lettuce.
Pour the sauce over and garnish
with the almonds.
*
No comments:
Post a Comment