OMG Good eats.

[Taylor-MadeAK]

First bacon bits, then red pepper, and now scallions?  Be careful, man, dips are really easy to overdo.  There's a reason the basic recipe for French onion/California dip hasn't really changed since its invention in the 1950's, you know.  After you add all that, you don't have French onion dip any more....

[Rachael]

Okay guys, here is something I not just like, I LOVE.  We're having it tonight.

I found this recipe on the Internet, although I'm sure my mom's and grandma's are the best.

IMJADARA (with rice)

2 cups of lentil   
     2 cups of rice (soaked)   
     ½ teaspoon salt   
     ½ teaspoon Pepper   
     1 teaspoon cumin   
     Olive oil   
     2 cloves garlic, sliced   
     Onions (as many as desired): AT LEAST 4 onions, but fry only 2 at a time in the pan.

1.  # Pour the lentils onto a flat pan so that you can sift the stones &/or barley from it.

   
  2.  # Put the lentils in a pot and let it boil for about 5 minutes.

   
  3.  # Drain all the water using a strainer.

   
  4.  # Put the lentil back in the pot without the water.

   
  5.  Take the 2 cups of soaked rice and put it over the lentil (after you drain the rice, of course).

   
  6.  Add the salt, pepper, and cumin and mix it together.

   
  7.  Add 2 cloves of sliced garlic and the ¼ cup olive oil (from the onions you will fry) on top of the mix.

   
  8.  Add water to about ½ inch above the level of the mixture and let it simmer.

   
  9.  Onions: Cut the onions length-wise and fry them in olive oil. Put the onions on the side to be used as a garnish when serving your meal. [Remember, the olive oil you used for the onions will be the ¼ cup you used in making the lentils. This will give it an added flavor as opposed to taking the oil straight from the bottle.] 

[Taylor-MadeAK]

Looks interesting, I'll have to try it sometime.

[Oni]

First bacon bits, then red pepper, and now scallions?  Be careful, man, dips are really easy to overdo.  There's a reason the basic recipe for French onion/California dip hasn't really changed since its invention in the 1950's, you know.  After you add all that, you don't have French onion dip any more....

And then it becomes a new creation all together.

[Oni]

Quote from: TMAK's Digital Recipes
Beer Batter Anything!

Ingredients:

1 c         All-Purpose Flour
1/3 c      Cornmeal
1 Tb       Salt
1/4 tsp   Cayenne Pepper (more or less to taste)
2 ea       Egg Yolks (omit for crispier batter)
1 Tb       Melted Butter
2/3 c      Top-quality BEER
2 lbs       Firm white fish (halibut, cod, salmon, haddock, etc.) or anything else you want!
1/4 c      Flour for dredging


Directions:

   Preheat your deep fryer to 350°.  Combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, and cayenne pepper.  Add beer, egg yolks, and melted butter.  Whisk to combine.  Let batter stand for 10 - 15 minutes.  Season 1/4 c of flour with salt and pepper.  Dredge each piece of fish (or whatever you are using!) in the seasoned flour and shake of the excess.  Dip each piece then into the batter, and drop into the deep fryer.  Cook until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes for fish.  Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Question. THough it may sound stupid. But does the beer really matter in Beer Batter?

[Taylor-MadeAK]

Your question, aside from being misspelled (I can chalk that up to the drugs), isn't very specific.  Do you mean "is the kind of beer you use important?"  Or do you mean "is using beer important?"  Just in case, I'll answer both questions, starting with the latter:

Is using beer important to a beer batter?  Well, you can't really call it beer batter without the beer, can you?  Joking aside, if you look at the recipe and compare it to other batter recipes (say, a pancake batter or even a basic cookie batter), you'll see that it's missing something: leavening.  There's no baking soda, baking powder, or yeast to supply leavening here.  Without leavening, your batter won't get all puffy and crispy like you want it to.  It'll turn into something that I don't quite know how to describe...something like a cross between a cracker and slime.  Definitely not good eats.  The carbonation in the beer provides the leavening in a beer batter recipe, which is why you only want to mix it up right before you plan to start frying.  Ergo the beer really does "matter."  Granted, you could just use carbonated water in place of beer, but that creates another problem which we will address next.

Is the kind of beer important?  Well...yeah!  Aside from providing the required leavening in a beer batter, beer supplies a whole lot of the flavor in any dish that uses it as an ingredient.  A beer batter made with IPA is going to taste very different from (read: better) a batter made with a BMC light lager (which are generally pretty flavorless).  Generally speaking, I try to use darker beers for beer batter because I think the roasted grain flavors play quite well with the fish and chips that will accompany it.  I'm not the only one who believes so, either: the "classic" English beer batter (e.g. the kind you would eat in London) usually uses Guinness Stout.

[Taylor-MadeAK]

Okay, well, there haven't been any new recipes posted in here for a couple days, so I guess I'll add another of my favorites.  Oni will vouch for me when I say I'm pretty well-known for not being a big beef eater, especially not big hunks of roast beef.  My diet primarily consists of seafood, with some fowl and pork occasionally thrown in to change things up a bit.  Having grown up on that kind of diet, heavy red meats like steaks just don't agree with me; I even found hamburger difficult to digest.

That's not to say that I exclude all beef from my diet, however.  There is one beef dish that agrees with me.  It's a roast even.  It's a traditional dish called

Sauerbraten
Exactly what it sounds like: sour beef.  It's a pickle recipe...sort of.  Look, don't knock it until you've tried it, because this stuff is melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

2.00 c     Water
1.00 c     Cider Vinegar
1.00 c     Red Wine Vinegar
1.00 ea   Small Onion, coarsely chopped
1.00 ea   Large Carrot, coarsely chopped
1.00 tb    Kosher Salt, plus extra for seasoning meat
0.50 ts    Black Pepper, freshly ground
2.00 ea   Whole Bay Leaves
6.00 ea   Whole Cloves
12.0 ea   Juniper Berries
1.00 ts    Whole Mustard Seeds
1.00 ea   Beef Bottom Round Roast (3.5 to 4.0 lbs worth)
1.00 tb    Vegetable Oil
0.33 c     Sugar
18.0 ea   Dark Old-Fashioned Ginger Snap Cookies -or- Lebkuchen, finely crushed (about 5.00 oz worth)

In a large saucepan over high heat combine the water, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, onion, carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, juniper, and mustard seeds. Cover and bring this to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.  This is your brine.

Pat the bottom round dry, trim off excess fat if you want, and rub with vegetable oil and salt on all sides. Heat a large saute pan over high heat; add the meat and brown on all sides, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.

When the marinade has cooled to a point where you can stick your finger in it and not be burned, place the meat in a non-reactive vessel and pour over the marinade. Place into the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days (longer is much, much better). If the meat is not completely submerged in the liquid, turn it over once a day.

After 3 to 5 days of marinating, preheat the oven to 325ºF.

Add the sugar to the meat and marinade, cover and place on the middle rack of the oven and cook until tender, approximately 4 hours.

Remove the meat from the vessel and keep warm. Strain the liquid to remove the solids. Return the liquid to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk in the gingersnaps and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally.  Slice the roast and serve with the sauce.  This dish goes particularly well with spaetzle and a nice big glass of bockbier.

[Rosa D.]

Okay guys, here is something I not just like, I LOVE.  We're having it tonight.

I found this recipe on the Internet, although I'm sure my mom's and grandma's are the best.

IMJADARA (with rice)

2 cups of lentil   
     2 cups of rice (soaked)   
     ½ teaspoon salt   
     ½ teaspoon Pepper   
     1 teaspoon cumin   
     Olive oil   
     2 cloves garlic, sliced   
     Onions (as many as desired): AT LEAST 4 onions, but fry only 2 at a time in the pan.

1.  # Pour the lentils onto a flat pan so that you can sift the stones &/or barley from it.

   
  2.  # Put the lentils in a pot and let it boil for about 5 minutes.

   
  3.  # Drain all the water using a strainer.

   
  4.  # Put the lentil back in the pot without the water.

   
  5.  Take the 2 cups of soaked rice and put it over the lentil (after you drain the rice, of course).

   
  6.  Add the salt, pepper, and cumin and mix it together.

   
  7.  Add 2 cloves of sliced garlic and the ¼ cup olive oil (from the onions you will fry) on top of the mix.

   
  8.  Add water to about ½ inch above the level of the mixture and let it simmer.

   
  9.  Onions: Cut the onions length-wise and fry them in olive oil. Put the onions on the side to be used as a garnish when serving your meal. [Remember, the olive oil you used for the onions will be the ¼ cup you used in making the lentils. This will give it an added flavor as opposed to taking the oil straight from the bottle.] 

That looks simple enough. I should make it sometime.

[Taylor-MadeAK]

Since I'm making the previously posted sauerbraten recipe for dinner tonight (and tomorrow), I thought I'd post my spaetzle recipe to go along with it.  Spaetzle are basically the German version of egg noodles, but the way they're made is more like dumplings.  Observe:

Spaetzle

1.00 c     All-purpose flour.
1.00 ts    Salt.
0.50 ts    Pepper (freshly ground, please).
0.50 ts    Nutmeg (also freshly ground, unless you like the flavor of sawdust...).
2.00 ea   Eggs.
0.25 c     Milk.
3.00 tb    Butter.
2.00 tb    Minced chives.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg-milk mixture. Gradually draw in the flour from the sides and combine well; the dough should be smooth and thick. Let the dough rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot, then reduce to a simmer. To form the spaetzle, hold a large holed colander or slotted spoon over the simmering water and push the dough through the holes with a spatula or spoon (or you can make it easy on yourself and get a spaetzle maker). Do this in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the spaetzle floats to the surface, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Dump the spaetzle into a colander and give it a quick rinse with cool water.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the spaetzle; tossing to coat. Cook the spaetzle for 1 to 2 minutes to give the noodles some color, and then sprinkle with the chopped chives and season with salt and pepper before serving.

[Oni]

Baked Stuffed Flounder
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005
Show:     Good Eats
Episode:     Flat is Beautiful III - Flounder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for the sweat and for seasoning fillets
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (10-ounce package) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 lemon, zested
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning fillets
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup white wine
10 ounces grated Cheddar
1 1/2 to 2 pounds flounder fillets
3 cups leftover cooked rice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium saute pan over low heat, melt the butter; add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute. Add the spinach and lemon zest and cook until just heated through. Season with the salt and pepper, add the parsley, and stir to combine. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Place the heavy cream and wine into a saucepan over medium heat. Once the mixture begins to simmer, gradually add the cheese and stir until melted. Set aside and keep warm.

If the fillets are large, cut in half. Season each filet on both sides with salt and pepper. Divide the spinach mixture evenly among the fillets and roll the fish around the mixture. Place the rice into a 2 1/2-quart casserole dish and spread evenly. Place each roll on top of the rice, seam side down. Pour over the cheese sauce and place in the oven for 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-stuffed-flounder-recipe/index.html

Just to rub it in to TM what I made for dinner last night. I thought I should share it with you all. Though now that I made it, I think adding some bread cumbs over the cheese and doubling the cheese would make this awesome

[Taylor-MadeAK]

f*** you, Oni.  >.<  I love flounder, I just hardly ever get it because the seafood departments of the supermarkets on this side of town suck.  I still have yet to check out 10^th & M Seafoods right down the street, tho. 

Anyway, I'm makin' this for dinner:

Tuna Noodle Casserole
This isn't your mother's tuna casserole.  I make the sauce from scratch because I hate the recipes that are based on cream of mushroom soup (I just can't handle the 'shrooms).

8.00 oz     Egg Noodles (by weight, please)
2.00 tb     Butter
2.00 tb     Flour
1.00 ts     Salt
1.00 c      Milk
1.00 c      Cheddar Cheese, grated
1.00 can   Albacore Tuna, drained (6 ounces)
0.50 c      Panko (Japanese style breadcrumbs)

Preheat oven to 350ºF and coat a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray or vegetable oil.  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the noodles until they are al dente, then drain the noodles and set aside.

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter and let it foam out.  Once the foaming subsides, add two tablespoons of flour and stir to combine well.  Cook, stirring frequently, just until the roux smells nutty.  It'll only take a minute or two.  Immediately stir in one cup of cold milk (cold is important to prevent lumps), and stir constantly over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil and thickens.  Drop the heat to low and start stirring in the grated cheese a small handful at a time, I usually add about 1/4 of the cheese in each addition and stir constantly until it's completely melted.  Once all the cheese is in and the sauce is smooth, season with a teaspoon of salt (and pepper if you want) and remove from the heat.

Combine the noodles, tuna, and sauce in your 2 quart casserole.  Top with the panko and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.

[Taylor-MadeAK]

Time to resurrect this thread.

Ecator casts Raise on OMG Good eats.
OMG Good eats returns to the first page of the General Discussion forum!

Today, I bring you my recipe for sauerkraut.  Not how too cook it, not how to eat it, but how to make it.  From scratch.

Yeah, I'm cool like that.

All you need is some basic kitchen know-how (like how to use a knife and how to wash dishes) and a containment vessel of some sort.  You can go out and buy a stoneware pickling crock if you really want to, but I'm sure if you look around your kitchen you'll find something that's big enough, non-reactive, non-porous, has a lid, and not often used (it's going to be full of fermenting kraut for the next 3 weeks, after all).  Something like this, maybe?



Really large casserole dishes also work very well for this purpose.  Just look around, I'm sure you'll find something.  I happen to not be using my 6 quart crock-pot (similar to the one pictured above) for anything at the moment, so it's been commandeered for the purpose of makin' some kraut.  Whatever you choose to use, you want to make sure that the inside of the vessel is very clean.  If you have some no-rinse food-grade sanitizer laying around, go on and use it if you want.  It's not required, though, just use soap and plenty of really hot water.  From here on this fermentation vessel will be referred to as a "crock," regardless of whether or not you're really using one.  Got it?

The rest of the equipment you need is standard kitchen stuff.  You'll need a good sharp knife for cutting the cabbage, my 8" chef's knife is perfectly adequate to both jobs of quartering the heads of cabbage and shredding them.  Optionally, you can use a mandolin or v-slicer to shred the cabbage quarters, but please make sure you use the hand guard because finger pieces do not make good kraut!  You'll also need something to place on top of the shredded cabbage to hold all of it under the brine.  I like to use zip-top freezer bags filled with brine (so that the sauerkraut brine won't be diluted if a bag leaks) for this because they can be molded to fit inside any shape container and are always present in my kitchen.  Use whatever size bag you find necessary to fill the space, and fill it with brine made from canning salt and water at a ratio of 1 tablespoon salt per cup of water (10 oz by weight per gallon of water is a better way to measure it, but volumetric measuring is fine if you use canning or table salt).

My "recipe" for sauerkraut is very simple.  The ingredient list is short, preparation is simple, and the most difficult thing I run into is keeping my toddler from chowing down on all the cabbage faster than I can shred it.  Here's what you're looking at:

Sauerkraut
This is a traditional recipe for pickling your own sauerkraut with natural fermentation.  The recipe can be scaled to any degree that you like, but it's important to keep the ratio of salt to cabbage intact.

5.00 lbs     Cabbage (about 2 heads)
3.00 tb      Canning Salt (sometimes called pickling salt, just make sure it's not iodized)
2.00 ea      Garlic cloves, lightly crushed (optional)
1.00 ea      Dried hot chile pepper, whole (optional)

Measure the required salt out into a small bowl or cup and set aside.  Next, quarter and core each head of cabbage, then shred the cabbage quarters into fine strips.  How fine you shred the cabbage is up to you.  As you get each quarter shredded, add the cabbage to your crock, sprinkle on about an eighth (assuming you're using 2 heads of cabbage, 1 quarter of a head is 1/8 of the total cabbage) of the salt, and toss to mix with your fingers.  Repeat with all of the remaining cabbage.  If you're using the optional garlic and chile, mix those in after all of the cabbage has been shredded and salted.  Pack the cabbage down tightly, place your weight of choice on top, cover the vessel loosely, and store in a warm place (68ºF-72ºF, if you want hard numbers) while you wait for the magic to happen.

Over the next 48 hours, the salt will pull enough water out of the cabbage to form a brine.  The brine formed should be enough to completely submerge the cabbage while the hold-down weight is on top.  If, for some reason, enough brine hasn't formed after 48 hours, go ahead and add some water just until the cabbage is completely submerged by about 1/8 inch (this is almost never necessary, but I'm mentioning it just in case).  Check on your fermenting kraut every couple days.  If any "scum" forms on top of the brine, gently skim it off and discard.  After about 4 days it should noticeably start to smell like pickles.  Just continue to monitor it every few days for the next three to four weeks. 

Like any other fermentation, when bubbles no longer rise to the top of the brine, fermentation is complete.  Fermentation can be stopped at any point prior to that simply by refrigerating the batch, so start tasting the sauerkraut as it approaches the three week mark.  When the acidity level has reached a point that you like, transfer your crock to the refrigerator for a couple days.  Once fermentation has halted, the sauerkraut can then be packaged in any way you see fit.  My normal packaging is to transfer the kraut to a couple of zippy freezer bags and divide the brine between them, then squeeze out all the air and seal.  Refrigerate until you're ready to eat it.  Properly made and refrigerated, sauerkraut will keep for up to a year.

Important note about spoilage: This is a wild fermentation, so spoilage organisms are a possibility in spite of the salt.  Sauerkraut always smells pickly, acidic, and faintly sulfuric while it's fermenting.  Things you don' want to see or smell are alarming color changes (pink is bad) and especially nauseating aromas.  If any of that happens, you've got something growing in your pickles that you wouldn't want to eat, and you should discard the entire batch and start over.

Here are some pics of my current batch:

[Oni]

Skirt Steak
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Show:     Good Eats

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 scallions, washed and cut in 1/2
2 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar or Mexican brown sugar
2 pounds inside skirt steak, cut into 3 equal pieces
Special equipment: blow dryer

Heat charcoal, preferably natural chunk, until grey ash appears. In a blender, put in oil, soy sauce, scallions, garlic, lime juice, red pepper, cumin, and sugar and puree. In a large heavy duty, zip top bag, put pieces of skirt steak and pour in marinade. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible. Allow steak to marinate for 1 hour in refrigerator.

Remove steak from bag and pat dry with paper towels. Using a blow dryer, blow charcoal clean of ash. Once clean of ash lay steaks directly onto hot coals for 1 minute per side. When finished cooking, place meat in double thickness of aluminum foil, wrap, and allow to sit for 15 minutes.

Remove meat from foil, reserving foil and juices. Slice thinly across the grain of the meat. Return to foil pouch and toss with juice. Serve with grilled peppers and onions, if desired.

Though I had to use a Cast Iron Skillet and cut up some peppers and Onions and Made some fajita's (<-- ROGUE APOSTROPHE!!). Ohhh they were Soooo Good.

[Zev The Dog]

CURRY STEAK   

1 lb. round steak
Seasoned flour
1 lg. onion, sliced
4 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. curry powder (can be made without the curry and still taste good)
8 tbsp. ketchup
2 c. hot water with 4 bouillon cubes
4 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper

Cut steak in small pieces; dip in flour and brown well on both sides; place in bottom of casserole; top with onion, slices thin. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over steak. Cook at 350 degrees for 3 hours. Gravy can be thickened, if needed, with a little cornstarch. (Make into a paste with a small amount of gravy before adding to remaining gravy; mix in well and let bake a while longer until thicker.)

grovel and know fear before the curry steak!

[Oni]

Recipes from TM and were ever he found them

Tempura Recipe

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 cup ice water
1 cup all purpose flour
Preparation:
Beat an egg in a bowl. Add ice water in the bowl. Be sure to use very cold water. Add sifted flour in the bowl and mix lightly. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
Makes 4 servings

Tempura Sauce Recipe

1.c soy sauce
2.0.25 c sake
3.1.00 tb hot chili sauce (srirachi)
4.1.00 tb chopped fresh ginger
5.2.00 tb chopped fresh cilantro leaves
6.chopped green onions for garnsih











Pineapple Chicken With Sweet and Sour Sauce
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
4 cups oil for deep-frying, or as needed
6 chicken thighs, skin on
Marinade:
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Vegetables:
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1 large carrot
1/2 cup pineapple chunks (reserve 3/4 cup juice from can)
Batter:
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups flat soda water, or as needed
1 teaspoon finely diced green onion
Sweet and Sour Sauce Ingredients:
3/4 cup pineapple juice (reserved juice from canned pineapple)
4 tablespoons vinegar (white or rice vinegar)
3 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 4 tablespoons water



Preparation:
Directions for making Pineapple Chicken:
Pre-heat the oil for deep-frying to between 360 - 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut the meat from the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Add the marinade ingredients to the chicken, mixing in the cornstarch last. Marinate the chicken for 15 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the vegetables and batter. To prepare the vegetables, cut the red and green bell pepper into chunks. Peel the carrot and cut into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal. Drain the pineapple and reserve 3/4 cup of juice.

To prepare the batter, mix the baking powder and baking soda together well, and stir into to the other dry ingredients. Gradually add the oil. Add 1 1/4 cups of the soda, then stir in as much of the remaining 1/4 cup soda as is needed. Mix well, and add the diced green onion. Mix the chicken in the batter until it is well coated.

Deep-fry1 the chicken. While the process is very quick, the chicken should not turn brown immediately - if it does the oil is too hot. Place the deep-fried chicken pieces on a tray lined with paper towels to drain. (Do not cover the chicken).

To prepare the sauce, bring the reserved pineapple juice, vinegar, and brown sugar to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the carrot, green pepper, and pineapple. Bring to a boil again and add the cornstarch mixture, stirring quickly to thicken. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt, or more sugar or vinegar if desired. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve hot.






SESAME CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS
2 whole chicken breasts
-1 egg
-2 Tbs. flour
-2 Tbs. Cornstarch
-2 Tbs. Water
-1 tsp. Salt
-2 tsp. Vegetable oil
-¼ tsp. White pepper (black is OK, too)
-¼ tsp. Baking soda

SAUCE
½ cup water
¼ cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 cup chicken broth
¾ cup vinegar
2 tsp. dark (tamari) soy sauce
2 tsp. Chili paste (or less to taste)
1 tsp. Vegetable oil
1 clove finely minced garlic

CONDIMENT
Vegetable oil for deep/frying
2 Tbs. Toasted sesame seeds
Sesame oil
Chopped scallions

PREPARATION:
Cut chicken into strips about 1 inch by 2 inches by ½ inch thick.  Mix the flour, cornstarch, water, salt, oil, pepper, and baking soda to form a batter.  Add the chicken and let stand 20 minutes or so while you prep everything else.

COOKING:
Mix all sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan, then bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring constantly until bubbly and thickened. Keep warm while cooking the chicken.
 
Heat a wok or deep pot and add 3 to 4 cups of oil.  Bring the heat of the oil to 350ºF (you have a frying thermometer, right?).  Fry about 10 pieces of chicken at a time until lightly browned. Remove chicken with a strainer and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. Always bring the cooking temperature back to 350ºF.
 
Raise the oil temp to 375ºF.  Fry the chicken again until golden brown and crispy.  Toss chicken with sauce, drizzle with sesame oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and garnish with chopped scallions.

Yeppers that's  when I am whipping up tonight along with Chicken Fried Lice