Who the Hell Was General Tso and Why Do Honor Him With Chicken?

General Tso's Chicken has been on my mind a lot lately...mainly because I have had a taste for it.  Then on one of my many sleepless, insomnia ridden nights, I laid there thinking: "Who the hell was General Tso? Is he a real person? Why did they name chicken after him?"  I decided to research General Tso and I thought I would share my findings with you, my lovely readers.

Now for you that either live under a rock, in a cave, or have never had Americanized Chinese food my be wonder what is this chicken I speak of.  Here is my description of General Tso's chicken...It is this crispy fried type chunks of chicken in this kick ass sauce that is sweet, but don't let that fool you.  That stuff will come back and slap you in your face with the spice.  All and all it is freaking delicious.  The stuff has slapped me in the face a few times...I think of the great pepper incident of 2003...The office where I was working at the time, we had ordered Chinese.  I got my beloved General Tso chicken...I took a delicious bite and one of the sneaky little peppers was hidden on the bottom of the bite...in other words, I thought I was going to die, but I digress. For those of you who want a real background on it, this is what I found:

General Tso's chicken (sometimes Governor Tso's chicken, General Tao's chicken, General Tsao's chicken) is a sweet and spicy, deep-fried chicken dish that is popularly served in North American Chinese restaurants. The dish was unknown in China and other lands home to the Chinese diaspora before it was introduced by chefs returning from the United States. The dish is named after General Tso Tsung-tang, or Zuo Zongtang, a Qing dynasty general and statesman, although this connection is tenuous. He is said to have enjoyed it, and perhaps helped create a dish, but there are no recorded recipes. The real roots of the dish lie in the post 1949 exodus of chefs to the United States. The dish is reported to have been introduced to New York City in the early 1970s as an example of Hunan cooking, though it is not typical of Hunanese cuisine, which is traditionally very spicy and rarely sweet. The dish was first mentioned in The New York Times in 1977.

Ok so we know what the chicken is...now what made Tso so great?   I had to find out!

Zuo Zongtang  (November 10, 1812 - September 5, 1885), spelled Tso Tsung-t'ang in Wade-Giles and known simply as General Tso in the West, was a Chinese statesman and military leader in the late Qing Dynasty.

He was born in Wenjialong, north of Changsha in Hunan province. He served in China's northwestern regions, quelling the Dungan revolt and various other disturbances. He served with distinction during the Qing Empire's civil war against the Taiping Rebellion, in which it is estimated 20 million people died.

So he lived over a 100 years ago...he must be pretty bad ass to have food named after him.  I mean have you ever heard of the General Washington dog or the Lincoln burger? I haven't and if you had? Send me an email!

Zuo's career got an inauspicious start when, as a young man, he failed the official court exams seven times.  He decided to abandon his plans to become a civil servant and returned to his home by the Xiang River in Hunan to farm silkworms, read, and drink tea. It was during this period that he first directed his attention to the study of Western sciences and political economy.

Drink tea? Seriously?

When the Taiping Rebellion broke out in 1850, Zuo, then 38 years old, was hired as an advisor to Zeng Guofan, the governor of Hunan. In 1856, he was formally offered a position in the provincial government of Hunan. In 1860, Zuo was given command of a force of 5,000 volunteers, the Xiang Army (later known as "Chu Army"), and by September of that year, he drove the Taiping rebels out of Hunan and Guangxi provinces, into coastal Zhejiang. Zuo captured the city of Shaoxing and, from there, pushed south into Fujian and Guangdong provinces, where the revolt had first begun. In 1863, Zuo was appointed Governor of Zhejiang and an Undersecretary of War.

OK so he was pretty badass...I'd like to buy the guy a beer and chat with him.

Zuo Zongtang was admired by many generals who came after him. The Muslim General Bai Chongxi wanted to reconquer Xinjiang for the Kuomintang central government, in Zuo Zongtang's style, and expelled Russian influence from the area. Zuo Zongtang was also referred to by Muslim General Ma Zhongying (a descendant of a Salar noble) as one of his models, as Ma led the KMT 36th Division (National Revolutionary Army) to reconquer Xinjiang for the Kuomintang from the pro-Soviet governor Jin Shuren during the Kumul Rebellion.

So all these people admired him...I kind of got the Ooo's and Ahh's about him myself.  I also learned he was real nice at throwing spears and was pretty decent at making dumplings.

I think it is time for some lunch now...Chicken anyone?

I got the Down Lo...Lo Mein that is!

I suck, I know...This fat kid has not been feeling well and has been busy. I started taking a class a couple weeks ago and I am not used to having homework...such an odd concept for me again. Before you ask, no it's not a cooking class, although there are a couple I would like to take in the future. I have been cooking. I made shrimp lo mein last week and a loaf of homemade bread. I am also planning Easter dinner but I will cover that next week.

J.J.'s Homemade Bread

• 1/4 c. melted butter
• 2 1/4 c. very warm water
• 2 pkg. dry yeast
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 6 c. flour

 Put melted butter and warm tap water together. Add yeast, salt, and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add 3 cusp flour and mix well. Then add 3 more cups of flour and beat well. Knead for 5 minutes and let it rise until it doubles in size. Roll out on floured surface and punch out air bubbles. Shape into loaves, put into greased tins. Let rise and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Shrimp Lo Mein

Ingredients

• 1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined – I got precooked
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 6 ounces uncooked multigrain linguine or Chinese egg noodles
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sherry or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 celery rib, sliced
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

 

Directions

 

In a small bowl, combine the shrimp, garlic and; set aside. Cook noodles according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, water, soy sauce, broth, ginger and pepper flakes until blended; set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry shrimp in 1 tablespoon oil for 2-3 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. If using precooked skip this step.
Stir-fry celery and carrot in remaining oil for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms; stir-fry 4-6 minutes longer or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
Stir cornstarch mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Drain noodles; stir into skillet. Add shrimp; heat through.

This was a very good recipe and a keeper. My roommate and I enjoyed it very much. I cheated and used frozen stir-fry vegetables. I served with egg rolls and cheese won tons...frozen pre-made.

Good-Bye January

It has been a productive January in J.J. Land and February looks to be headed in that direction as well. I plan on doing a Chinese Take Out night at my house next month where I prepare the food. I have had some recipes for some of my Chinese favorites fall into my lap and I want to test them before I share them with my adoring public. Also, in case you haven't seen, you can now fan me on Facebook. I look forward to gaining many fans and please be sure to tell your friends! Keep sending those recipes and photos! I will leave you with a pretty simple, yet tasty chocolate pie!

 

Easy Chocolate Custard Pie

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup chocolate syrup
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 EGGS
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 prepared crumb crust (9-inch)

Directions

 

1.HEAT oven to 350°F. COMBINE syrup, milk and sugar in small saucepan. COOK over low heat, stirring constantly, until bubbles form at edges. SET ASIDE.

 

2.BEAT eggs and vanilla in medium bowl until blended. Stirring constantly, slowly ADD heated milk mixture until well blended. POUR into crumb crust.

 

3.BAKE in center of 350°F oven until knife inserted near center of pie comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. COOL on wire rack. SERVE warm or refrigerate until cold.

 

Enjoy!

 

Make pie in a graham cracker or chocolate crumb crust. Garnish with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Restaurant Whore

Like every other “normal” American out there, I love to eat out. Not having to clean up the kitchen after a meal and have someone wait on me? That is an everyday cook’s wet dream. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love to cook. Most things I cook are better than what you can get in any restaurant. There is just some things I haven’t mastered as of yet.

Mexican

I love Mexican/ Tex-Mex food. I love it so much I have spent my last three birthdays at Don Pablo’s. Don Pablo’s is very excellent for a chain restaurant. I know a much better localized Mexican place, but the chain place seemed more convenient for gathering a large quantity of friends in one place for a meal.


I can cook some Mexican like dishes, but they are more of a fake out than authentic. They are definitely more Mexican than Taco Bell. Funny side note: I have a friend that thinks Taco Bell constitutes real, authentic Mexican Cuisine. Sorry my friend…it does not. FAST FOOD. As for myself…if I want a fast food taco, Chipotle for the win! Crunchy tacos, with the pork, fresh tomato salsa, sour cream, and cheese.

Now if you want good Mexican food and you are in the Annapolis/Baltimore/DC area, I have one word for you: Los Portales. It is located in a strip mall, of all places, near BWI airport. It is very reasonable and most delicious. I need to take Melissa here.
I discovered this gem from an ex of mine. We ate there quite a bit in our six month relationship and once together as friends after splitting Anyway…I usually order the combination #8: one enchilada and one tamale. It comes with rice and beans for $7.75. I’m not a big one on rice at these places but I will eat theirs. I love their tamales and wish they had a tamale platter.



Chinese

My Mother worked in a fancy Chinese restaurant when I was a small child. It no longer exists, but it was in Florence, Kentucky and was called the Dragon Inn. While working there she learned to make tons of delicious Chinese dishes. My favorite today is beef and peapods. She has showed me a few times how to make this and I just can’t make is as good as hers. Maybe it is the whole deal that no ones cooking can hold a candle to Mom/Grandma’s…I don’t know.


As for Chinese restaurants…the best I have ever eaten at is a place called Ping’s in Worchester, Massachusetts. It was across the street from the Greyhound station and was so very good. That ex and I ate there once a week. It was there I discovered cashew chicken, Peking ravioli aka dumplings (steamed, not fried please), combo fried rice/lo mien, the pu pu platter and so many other delicious Chinese dishes I love.


Now…in the area I live in now. Grace’s Fortune is the place to eat hands down. It can be prices so it isn’t for everyday, but the place is so good. I never liked crab Rangoon till I had it at this place. I also like the way they serve stuff...like the pineapple chicken is served in a carved out pineapple. How cool is that? I also like the crispy beef. I also had Moo Shu pork here for the first time and fell in love with it. I’ve only ate there a couple times twice for my birthday and once for my another ex’s Grandmother’s birthday. I want to go back again. Another adventure for Melissa and I, I suspect.

Now as for everyday Chinese take out…I love Generals chicken or egg foo yung. Egg foo yung was the first Chinese food I ever remember eating. How can a country boy not love this? Scrambled eggs with brown gravy? FTW! I love won ton soup and of course dumplings. Occasionally I like sweet and sour pork. There was this take out place near the place I lived in River Dale, Maryland a couple years ago that had crab fried rice. OMG! I can’t find another place that has it. I guess I need to learn to make it myself.

Fastfood

• Subway - The seafood and crab, on honey oat with tomato, pickle, onion, banana peppers, cheese, and a tiny line of spicy mustard. If I’m not in the mood for that…the club with all those same fixings plus mayo.
• Burger King – Whopper with cheese no lettuce.
• Mc Nasties aka Mc Donald’s – I don’t eat here unless I am constipated.
• Wendy’s – I don’t get here very much, but I love their chicken cordon blu when they have it.
• Skyline – This is a wonderful chili place back home…Cincinnati Chili. I could eat there everyday. My order? A four way with onions, two cheese coneys with, and a large Pepsi or Mt Dew.
• Big Boy – Another back home favorite. Cherry Coke is a must here. I also like the classic Big Boy sandwich with extra sauce, onion rings, and hot fudge cake.

Anyone hungry yet? I am.

Now my whole world isn’t consumed by thoughts of food, but it really it is a simple/social pleasure in life. How many first dates have we all had where we went out for a meal? Birthdays/Holidays celebrated with food? Food for thought…no pun intended.