Many people associate orange chicken with weeknight takeout. Strangely, I associate it with weekend brunch.
This might be a holdover from my 20s. After late nights out at friends' birthday parties and other such events, I would sometimes wake up very groggy and craving orange chicken from the corner takeout place. Sure, it was fried, sugary, and a bit greasy, but it was also perfect for eating in front of the TV with a large *strong* iced coffee. To some people this might sound very, um, odd. To me this combo was heaven on a Sunday morning after a few extra glasses of wine the night before.
These days, my preference for orange chicken veers towards the healthier homemade variety. The orange chicken that appears in my cookbook is a crunchy, shallow-fried dish that I tested again and again to get the coating crispy without being too greasy. And yesterday, when it was in the mid-80s and stuffy in my apartment, I tried a stir-fried spicy orange chicken recipe from Grace Young's Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge.
Grace's spicy orange chicken stir-fry is perfect for the summer. First, it's quick, so you don't have to spend much time in front of the stove. Second, you can use those incredibly flavorful summer tomatoes that are in the markets right now. The sauce isn't heavy at all. Even the spiciness is on the lighter side, with Sichuan pepper adding a floral, citrusy note. (You can always leave it out or substitute 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes.)
For a very summery meal, you can make lemongrass iced tea or black cherry iced tea to go with the chicken. But maybe skip the iced coffee, unless you really need it.
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