One of the most popular Chinese-American dishes, General Tso's chicken with its spicy, sweet-tart umami-laden bites is in many ways emblematic of the American experience. Five years ago I started an empty-nester blog, so my adult kids could easily find beloved recipes when inspired into the future, working in chow-friendly hikes and travel tips along the way. After I had crossed the globe perfecting my son's favorite dish, my daughter initiated an annual Veguary challenge. While General Tso's tofu seemed a natural variation, it took a few years to develop a technique to create perfectly textured bites that maximize flavor and satisfaction. A multicultural fusion come back around, just in time for America's birthday. Happy 4th of July!
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| Love2Chow General Tso's Tofu |
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The initial version of General Tso's chicken, 左宗棠雞 (Zuǒ zōng táng jī) in Chinese was invented in Taiwan by a 20th century refugee chef, who had fled the totalitarian government born out of his province before the "bamboo curtain" fell. The bold, spicy and sour flavors characteristic of Hunan food was fused to an American love for boneless, sugar-glazed fried chicken nuggets by Chinese-American immigrant chefs in New York City, and General Tso's chicken was born.
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| Love2Chow General Tso's Chicken |
Adapting new ingredients and local tastes, while preserving elements of remembered traditions form an important part of the American immigration story.
From Meso-American tamales that might have substituted corn husks for bamboo leaves after the first humans crossed the land bridge, to the infinite variation of flatbreads and dumplings enveloping regional fillings, some similarities might be due to convergent evolution of independently developed food ideas, but more often than not reflect peaceful cultural exchanges over the millenia. No one can deny the impact of American plants -- chocolate, vanilla, chilies, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, beans, squash -- on global cuisines. While food origins become murky as introduced foods and ideas become part of national and cultural identities, we are all enriched by these culinary linkages.
This is the quintessential American experience: the opportunity and freedom to not just tolerate, but actively share cultural traditions and create something better in the tapestry of life.
Happy Fourth of July!
Click here for Love2Chow General Tso's Chicken recipe.
Click here for Love2Chow General Tso's cauliflower recipe.
Flavors and Textures
While it was straightforward to create the desired tangy-sweet sauce with a bit of heat, for each phase of my General Tso's exploration, the difficult part was getting the texture just right. This was true for General Tso's Chicken, General Tso's Cauliflower, and General Tso's Tofu.
Fuchsia Dunlop's recipe in Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook offered the perfectly textured chicken, but I found that both versions of her sauce lacked brightness. After my daughter's first Veguary challenge (which we failed pretty quickly by forgetting that oyster sauce was not vegetarian -- we got better the second year), I thought it would be straightforward to substitute fried cauliflower or tofu for the fried chicken chunks. But this was not the case.
Inspired by Gobi (cauliflower) Manchurian, a beloved Indo-Chinese fusion dish, I was able to develop a highly satisfying vegan General Tso's cauliflower with a texture and flavor that rivaled the original.
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| Love2Chow General Tso's Cauliflower |
But the tofu version eluded me.
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