Kung Pao Chicken is a gratifying medley of chicken, golden peanuts, and bright red chiles. The sauce is a light sweet-and-sour base pepped up with a deep chile spiciness and a trace of Sichuan pepper that will make your lips tingle pleasantly. The ingredients are all cut in harmony, the chicken in small cubes and the scallion in short pieces to complement the peanuts. The chicken should be just cooked and wonderfully succulent; the nuts are added at the very last minute so they keep their crispness.
INGREDIENTS
2 (about 2/3 lb)boneless chicken (I actually prefer to use thighs, but suit your own taste!)
3 garlic cloves and an equivalent amount of fresh ginger
5 scallions, white parts only
2 tbsp peanut oil
10 (or so) dried red chilies, preferably Sichuanese but Arbol chilies are perfectly fine
1 tsp whole Sichuan pepper (try to acquire Sichuan pepper if you can, but white pepper will suffice)
2/3 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
MARINADE
½ tsp salt
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp Shaoxing rice wine
2¼ teaspoons cornstarch
1 tbsp water
SAUCE
3 tsp sugar
1 1/8 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
3 tsp black Chinese vinegar (or 2 tsp balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp red wine vinegar)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp chicken stock or water
PREPARATION
- Cut the chicken as evenly as possible into 1/2-inch strips and then cut these into small cubes. Place in a small bowl and mix in the marinade ingredients.
- Peel and thinly slice the garlic and ginger, and chop the scallions into chunks as long as their diameter (to match the chicken cubes).
- Snip the chiles in half or into 2-inch sections - discard as many seeds as possible.
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Heat with 2 tbsp of oil and heat over a high flame. When the oil is hot but not yet smoking, add the chiles and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry briefly until they are crisp and the oil is spicy and fragrant. Take care not to burn the spices (you can remove the wok from the heat if necessary to prevent overheating).
- Quickly add the chicken and fry over a high flame, stirring constantly. As soon as the chicken cubes have separated, add the ginger, garlic, and scallions and continue to stir-fry for a few minutes until they are fragrant and the meat is cooked through (test one of the larger pieces to make sure).
- Give the sauce a stir and add it to the wok, continuing to stir and toss. As soon as the sauce has become thick and shiny, add the peanuts, stir them in, and serve.
VARIATIONS
The same dish can be made with cubes of pork, shrimp, or prawns. Cashew nuts can be used instead of peanuts for an elegant touch.
