http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2008/05/16/2003412040

The person you need to talk to is Peng Chang-kuei’s son, Chuck Peng, who now runs the business.

Please let us all know what you discover!

Would it be appropriate to publish the name, address and phone # of Chef Peng’s restaurant here?

I became friendly with David Keh in 1969 when he opened his second Sichuan restaurant at the SE corner of of W 95th St & Broadway. It was simply named ‘Sichuan’. The first NYC Sichuan restaurant was indeed called Sichuan Taste,and was located in Chiantown on a corner of Chatham Square. It was owned by Mr Keh and his partner Robert Chow (Chao?).

I subsequently became David’s assistant (in 1972) and spent 4-5 months working on the pre-opening of what was to become Uncle Tai’s Hunan Yuan. I was then employed as a host and captain there: from Jan ’73 – July’75.

In the early 70′s both Mr Keh and Chef TT Wang, the owner of the 4 star-rated Shun Lee Dynasty and the Shun Lee Palace went to Taipei looking for a new idea to bring back and they both discovered Chef Peng and his Hunan-style banquet cuisine. Neither of these individuals worked for Chef Peng, but they both sought out individuals who had and who knew his repertoire. Coincidentally and independently of one another each entrepreneur returned to NYC and each opened a Peng-style Hunanese restaurant within months of one another. Each restaurant received a 4 star NY Times review. Chef Wang’s Hunam opened at the end of ’72 while Keh’s Uncle Tai’s openind in Jan ’73.

About 18 months later Chef Peng himself showed up and opened Uncle Peng’s Hunan Yuan. To New Yorkers it seemed like the imitation rather than the original.

I was there the day Cbef Peng showed up and cooked his first NYC banquet. It was excellent, but so was the cooking of Chef Wang and Chef Tai. It is quite clear in my mind that it was TT Wang who crisped and sweetened the formerly spicy tart dish that we today call General Tso’s chicken. And it his version that has really become the popular classic that is ubiquitous.

As far as Ta-Chien Chicken goes that is another story all together. It is named after the 20th Century master artist Chang, Ta-Chien.
It was invented by his family chef, Lou Huey Yen. Chef Lou (or Uncle Lou as he was known)was a fabulous Sichuan-style banquet chef who lived in exile with his patron, the artist Ta-Chien, in Sao Paulo Brazil. He finally showed up in NYC after the immigration laws changed here: the year was 1966 and he worked at a long forgotten ‘authentic’ restaurant called The Four Seas that was located in the Financial District. He subsequently was the chef at Sichuan Taste and then the chef at a restaurant called Sichuan East on 2nd Ave & 80th St.

Ta-chien Chicken as prepared by Chef Lou was (and is) chuncks of chicken on the bone braised with top quality rehydrated shitake mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots and scortched dried chilies. The cooking liquid is a mix of mushroom soaking liquid, chicken stock, rice wine, soy, a touch of sugar, ginger, scallion,and the dish is covered and wok-braised for 5-6 minutes. The sauce is then reduced, thickened, and finished with a touch of sesame oil. Uncle Lou was my cooking teacher and he made this dish often.