Perfection in a Dish. (Orange Chicken over Rice)

 So, if you know me, you know I cook. You also know I write, and there are times when I compare cooking to having sex - - usually when I'm writing, and trying to hold the attention of my readers. Today, joy of joys, I'm just going to talk about cooking and leave all the bedroom innuendoes where they belong - - which is in the bedroom. Today, because I can, I'll talk about making perfected orange chicken over rice. (It's not hard)

    First, you make a choice to either buy the orange chicken in a bag at Trader Joe's (they do a great job) or if you're going to make it yourself using the raw ingredients. If you go the T.J. route, the entire thing only takes about 20 minutes once you soak the rice and you're done. I'll start with this method.

• Buy the long or jasmine rice.
• Buy the bag of orange chicken.
• Soak your rice for 10-15 minutes and rinse twice.
• Refill the rice cooker with enough water to only cover the rice that you're cooking. You don't want too much water. Start the rice cooker.
• While the rice is cooking, not soaking, you open the bag of orange chicken, remove the duck sauce packets and you spray a pan so you can load the pan and put it into the oven on 400  for about 20 minutes. (The rice will just about be done when your timer goes off.)  
• Once your timer goes off, remove the chicken, put it into a bowl mix it with the duck sauce, and place it back on the pan/cookie sheet to warm in the oven you just turned off while you make sure the rice is actually ready.
• Wash your mixing bowl so you can get that out of the way.
• When the rice is ready, you take the chicken out of the oven, and you stack the rice on your plate, add the chicken, and if you need more duck sauce you squeeze the little packets you were about to toss into the bin.

    OK, now for the real way, the more satisfying way in my opinion. Preheat your deep fryer and get it ready with new grapeseed or olive oil (extra virgin is best, and you don't need to fill up the fryer, if you're using a smaller fryer that's better anyway, you only need to use about 2" of oil) You do NOT want your oil to be too hot. You want it to be hot enough to fry but not to burn the meat on the outside. (Check your instructions on the machine you use, if you use an open pot on the stove, be sure to not plop your pieces into the oil. Lower them with a slatted plastic spoon.)

• Buy your rice and chicken.
• Buy flour, eggs, and milk too. (to make a good batter)
• Cut the chicken into small pieces (1" pieces or smaller)
• Soak your rice for 10-15 minutes. Rinse twice, and fill up the rice cooker to the point that your rice is covered, but no more. Start the rice cooker.
• Mix the flour (1/2 cup, 1 egg white, and some milk) into a bowl, and give the egg yolk to your dog who by this time has realized you're in the kitchen and should be there to help you.
• Dip the chicken pieces into the batter and get them all battered up and ready to be fried.
• Put the chicken CAREFULLY into the deep fryer, a few pieces at a time. When they are floating, let them turn golden brown, remove them, and add more chicken pieces.
• This process takes about 8-10 minutes, so be sure and time it correctly so your rice is not still cooking. You want both the rice and the chicken to finish at about the same time. (I could absolutely have added a sexual comment right there, but I am refraining. Have you noticed how many times I have possibly restrained?)
• When the rice and the chicken are both done, you can start the duck sauce. It's really fun.
• You'll need: orange or apricot jam, chili or cayenne sauce, soy sauce, a bit of white vinegar, and garlic. It's 100% up to you as to how much of each you use. I use the following:

1. 1/4 cup of jam
2. 1/4 cup of soy sauce
3. 1 tsp garlic
4. 1 tsp cayenne pepper
5. 3 tablespoons of white vinegar

Mix the ingredients together, and pour them over the chicken or keep them as a dip, it's up to you. Once you top the rice with the chicken you can say your prayers and enjoy your meal. I hope you have learned something today - - if nothing else, you have learned that I don't always have to mix my fantasies with my recipes, but you also know me well enough by now to know I did so in my head.  That invisible Scotsman who often likes to join me both in the kitchen and the bedroom made his appearance at least a couple of times during this blog -- he is just too cute for words.  Sigh....oh...Craig! Not here, wait...sigh.

Photo Credit:  Me