First of all, I'm not even sure if it is the original PF
Chang's recipe or not. Just got this from the net. Didn't know what to cook
this morning. Had the chicken fillet out of the freezer but no idea what to do
with it at first. Of course I can just cook the usuals but since I was quite
free today (after class day syndrome), I thought of trying something new.
Opened up the fridge and saw oranges. Yeap...straight away reminded me of PF
Chang's Orange Peel Beef/Chicken in Bahrain City Center. Slurp. So I searched
for the recipe and found one which I think will give me the flavor that I want.
So here goes. This one is with Tofu though.
P.F. Chang's Orange Peel Sauce (with Tofu)
Ingredients
Sauce:
-1 tablespoon olive oil or canola, or vegetable oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced2-15 oz cans tomato sauce
- 1 cup water1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1/2 to 2 tablespoons chili-garlic paste (in the Asian food
section of the grocery store), to taste
- 1 orange, washed well and cut in half
- 2-3 scallions, chopped (optional)
Cooked white or brown rice, to serve the sauce and tofu with
Tofu Batter (or chicken, or shrimp):
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk, soy milk, almond milk
- 1 package firm or extra firm tofu
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- salt and pepper
- vegetable or canola oil
Directions
To make the sauce:
Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan. Add minced garlic and
saute for 30 seconds. Add the tomato sauce, water, sugar, soy sauce,
chili-garlic paste, and the scallions and bring to a simmer. Squeeze the juice
of half of the orange into the pot and mix all ingredients well. With the other
half of the orange, cut it into 4-6 wedges, and then slice each wedge into
slices, peel and all, about 1/8 inch thick. Add this to sauce (I promise, the
peel will be ok, you can see an example in the picture above). Let this simmer
for 30 minutes, or until slightly reduced and thickened. In the mean time, prep
the tofu.
To make the tofu:
Place a medium saute pan on medium-high heat, and pour in
enough oil to cover the bottom and about 1/4-1/2 inch deep. Open the container
of tofu, drain off water. Place block of tofu on a bunch of paper towels that
are on a place, and cover with more paper towels. Gently press out excess
water. Cut the tofu into approximately 20 rectangles. In a small bowl, mix the
milk and eggs, beat to combine. In a large, shallow dish, mix the flour,
cornstarch, and salt and pepper. Dip the tofu in the egg mixture, then dredge
in the flour mixture. Test the oil for correct temperature by taking one of the
dipped tofu pieces and placing it in the oil. If it bubble and sizzles, you're
good to go. Place half of the battered tofu in the pan and cook until brown on
one side, then flip and cook until brown on the other side. Remove from pan and
place on a plate covered with a paper towel to drain. Repeat with remaining
tofu. Place cooked rice on a plate, top with the tofu, ladle sauce over
generously.
Variations:
To make it with chicken or shrimp, use the same batter as
with the tofu. For chicken, use 4 medium size chicken breast (boneless,
skinless) or boneless and skinless chicken thighs. Cut into 1 inch pieces and
prepare as you would the tofu, starting at step 4. For shrimp, use 1 lb medium
sized uncooked, shelled shrimp, and continue at step 4.
Comments from the boys:
1. Mine is not that sweet...of course...I went googoogaagaa
looking at the amount of sugar used...so I reduced a bit.
2. I should have waited for the sauce to further reduced
till the oranges get caramalized to get that distinct taste and and that darker
color of the sauce.
3. But they still love it Alhamdulillah. 2 1/2 half packs of
chicken fillet are all gone now. But of course...(my own opinion...PF Chang's
is still the best).
Happy trying!!! Rasa cam sweet sour pun ada cuma with a more
orangey taste.
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