[Sca-cooks] Lemon Chicken [Was: pilgrims and travel foods]

[Martin G. Diehl]

"Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" wrote:
> 
> Also sprach lilinah at earthlink.net:

> >Adamantius wrote:

> >>Does it still have a recipe for what people used to call 
> >>[something like] Medieval Chicken McNuggets, based on a 
> >>period recipe for fowl of some kind, boiled, finished in 
> >>a sweet-and-sour sauce, and served, IIRC, as egredouce? 
> >>Because if it does, it continues to stray across the line 
> >>between whimsical expedience and misinformation.
> >
> >I read the book yesterday, thinking of McNuggets - small 
> >chicken bits (or perhaps in the commercial case) extruded 
> >chicken-meat fluff,
> 
> You're truly better off not knowing. 

Oh! My! -- 'Adult Conspiracy'; are we not old enough yet?  

> There are good descriptions of the process in one of 
> Margaret Visser's books, I think ("The Rituals of Dinner"?), 
> as well as "Fast Food Nation".

Maybe we need a class, "Why Medieval Food is Better."  

> >  coated with batter or breaded, then fried.

I often see 'Lemon Chicken' on Chinese menus.  They serve 
something that fits your description except cut into strips 
after cooking and with the breading falling off.  

OTOH, I was taught to make Chinese Lemon Chicken this way, 

    Cut raw chicken (2 skinned/boned breast)  1.5in. x 2 in. 

    Marinate in (1 egg yolk, 1 t salt, 1 T Chinese rice wine, 
    1 T light soy, 1/4 t white pepper)

    Dredge (6 T tapioca starch and 3 T water chestnut flour)

    Cook in wok, deep fry low heat 2 minutes to golden brown; 
    remove using wire strainer, drain

    Bring oil to high temperature, cook chicken for _only_ 
    10 to 20 seconds just to crisp the outside; remove, drain

    Seasoning sauce (6 T fresh lemon juice; 6 T sugar; 
    6 T chicken broth; 1 t salt; 1 T tapioca starch; 
    2 t sesame oil) stir fry till boil and thicken.  

    Serve with thick lemon sauce on a bed of lettuce

[I just checked my instructor's cook book ... which I found 
the second time I looked in the first place I looked <g> ... 

I had remembered it about 85% right ... forgotten about the 
marinade and the use of tapioca starch, water chestnut flour 
-- but corrected before SEND.  

Yes! kids! You are allowed to proofread before sending.  <g> 

"Fried Chicken Slices with Lemon Sauce" 
Liang, Lucille; "Chinese Regional Cooking" 
(Authentic Recipes from the Liang School); 
pub. Sterling; 1979; 
LC 79-65067; Sterling ISBN: 0-8069-0148-9 Trade, 
Oak Tree 7061-2662-9, 0149-7 Library

Google had 317 hits by author/title]

I still order restaurant lemon chicken 
... ever hoping ... always disappointed.  

[snip]

> Adamantius

Vincenzo

-- 
Martin G. Diehl

http://www.renderosity.com/gallery.ez?ByArtist=Yes&Artist=MGD

Reality: That which remains after you stop thinking about it.
  inspired by P. K. Dick