General Tso’s Tacos

OK, so my original promise to my friend Peng was that I’d take the General Tso’s chicken I made a couple days ago, wrap it in a flour tortilla with some fried rice and kimchi, and create a “ChiPanda Burrito.” Despite my reservations about the deliciousness of such a thing, I was gonna make it. Really, I was! But you know what they say about the best laid plans…

When I started rummaging in the fridge/pantry for burrito ingredients, I realized that I was out of both 12″ flour tortillas and kimchi. Oops. I did, however, have mini corn tortillas and all the stuff for plain ol’ vegetable fried rice. So, I made a quick game-time decision and decided to go with “ChiPanda” tacos instead. It’s still Asian-Mexican fusion food, so I figured Peng would be happy anyway. We’ll see…

I was deeply skeptical about the idea of “ChiPanda” food, but these tacos were actually really good. Obviously, General Tso’s chicken and fried rice go well together in any context, but the zesty pico de gallo and spicy Adobo mayo I used to Mexican-ify the dish were surprisingly complementary to everything, and helped create tacos that were spicy, zesty, creamy, crunchy, and wonderful. I guess I can see why Asian-Mexican fusion food trucks are so popular out west…

General Tso’s Tacos

Ingredients:
– 1 cup leftover General Tso’s chicken
– 3 small corn tortillas
– 1-1/2 cups cooked white rice
– 2 large eggs
– 2 tsp minced garlic
– 1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
– 1 tbsp sesame oil
– Salt/pepper to taste
– 1/3 cup onion, diced
– 1/2 large tomato, diced
– 2 tsp lime juice
– 1/4 cup mayonnaise
– 1 tbsp Adobo spices
– 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Steps:
(1) In a large skillet, cook minced garlic in olive oil until fragrant. Add mixed vegetables, and stir fry until soft, about 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl, and set aside.
(2) In the same skillet or pan, scramble your eggs. When eggs are done, return mixed vegetables to the skillet.
(3) Lower heat to medium, and add your rice to the skillet. Mix until eggs and vegetables are uniformly distributed throughout the rice.
(4) Add sesame oil, and mix well. Cook for about 1-2 minutes, then take your fried rice off the heat and set aside.
(5) In a small bowl, mix your diced onion and tomato with lime juice and dash of salt. Set pico de gallo aside.
(6) In another small bowl, mix mayonnaise, Adobe spices, and cayenne pepper to create a zesty taco sauce. Set aside.
(6) Microwave  your corn tortillas for about 30 seconds.
(7) Spoon about 1/4 cup fried rice into the center of each tortilla, then spread evenly.
(8) Spoon 1 tbsp pico de gallo on top of the rice.
(9) Place about 4-5 pieces of General Tso’s chicken on top of each tortilla
(10) Scoop taco sauce into a sandwich bag, zip fully, and snip a small piece off one corner of the bag. Pipe sauce over each taco, using as much as you feel you can handle. Garnish with cilantro or green onions, if desired.
(11) Fold each taco in half, carefully bring one to your mouth without losing any filling (if possible), take a big bite, and savor!

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