Regardless of its title, Mongolian Rooster is just not a standard Mongolian dish however reasonably a Chinese language-American restaurant favourite. It makes use of bite-sized items of rooster, normally battered and deep fried till crispy, then coated in a wealthy candy and savory sauce. Impressed by the ever-popular Mongolian Beef, this rooster variation provides a lighter but equally scrumptious expertise that pairs completely with rice or noodles.

Why this recipe

This recipe is my interpretation of the takeout-style Mongolian rooster, and I like this model rather more! 

• The rooster is coated with a skinny layer of cornstarch and pan fried till crispy. It doesn’t require deep-frying but yields a really satisfying texture.
• The recipe makes use of lots of aromatics and a balanced sauce, so it makes use of a lot much less sugar and sodium than the takeout model whereas sustaining the nice style.
• The recipe is fast to place collectively, making it good for a weeknight dinner.
• You may exchange or add in greens for further texture and diet, making it a whole, balanced meal.

Substances

What minimize of rooster to make use of

I extremely advocate utilizing rooster thigh for this recipe. The darkish meat is juicier and extra flavorful, and works completely with the wealthy sauce. When pan frying the rooster thigh, it could actually face up to an extended cooking time with out getting powerful and dry, so you possibly can crisp up the floor. 

That being stated, you possibly can completely use rooster breast on this recipe as nicely. If utilizing rooster breast, I extremely advocate including 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to tenderize the meat and stop it from turning powerful throughout cooking. 

Sauce and aromatics

Mongolian rooster normally makes use of a quite simple soy sauce and sugar primarily based sauce. And it’d use chili flakes, ginger and garlic so as to add aroma.

In my recipe I take advantage of complete dried chili pepper to infuse a pleasant taste to the oil with out including an excessive amount of warmth. I additionally use a bit of Sichuan peppercorn as a hidden taste, additional including aroma. A beneficiant quantity of scallion, ginger and garlic are used for depth of taste.

For the sauce, I solely used sufficient of the components to simply coat the rooster. This fashion, the rooster gained’t be smothered in lots of liquid, thus preserving the crispy texture. 

Greens and choices

Mongolian rooster doesn’t normally include any greens. However I discovered it’s good so as to add a small quantity of pepper for some colour and texture. You may exchange it with different greens reminiscent of blanched broccoli, onion, or bok choy.

Mise en place

Whenever you’re able to prepare dinner, your desk ought to have:

• Marinated rooster
• Cornstarch
• Combined sauce
• Aromatics (sliced scallion, ginger and garlic)
• Spices (dried chili pepper, Sichuan peppercorn, if utilizing)
• Sliced pepper

Easy methods to prepare dinner Mongolian rooster

Whenever you’re able to prepare dinner, coat the rooster items with cornstarch. When including cornstarch, sprinkle a bit of at a time and blend it into the rooster, to make sure all of the items are coated.

Then proceed to pan fry the rooster items till golden brown on each side. As soon as this step is finished, it’s necessary to maneuver the rooster to a big plate to chill barely. It prevents the rooster from overcooking. Plus, the cornstarch coating companies up additional throughout cooling. 

As soon as the rooster has cooled a bit, stir fry the aromatics, spices and pepper.

Then add the sauce, stir to thicken, then add again the rooster to coat. 

Now you possibly can serve the Mongolian rooster over steamed rice. The rooster is juicy and tender, with a skinny layer of crispy coating and a aromatic shiny sauce. 

Different standard takeout to serve collectively

Listed here are another fast and simple takeout dishes which you could pair with Mongolian rooster:

Afterthoughts

You may discover my Mongolian rooster barely completely different from the takeout model, since I solely used sufficient sauce to coat the components.

Remember that restaurant Mongolian rooster normally requires a thick batter and a double fry, so the crispy coating can stand as much as lots of sauce with out shedding its crispiness too quick.

Within the home made model, I selected to make use of a really skinny coating and pan fry so as to add texture. The skinny coating offers the rooster a superb mouthfeel, nevertheless it doesn’t keep tremendous crispy for a protracted time when you add the sauce. That’s why I used a small quantity of wealthy and concentrated sauce to create a daring taste, and the sauce gained’t make the rooster lose its texture too quick.

I hope you take pleasure in this recipe as a lot as I do!