Sichuan Classic
Kung Pao
Chicken
Ding Baozhen is not well known; Ding was the governor of the Sichuan province in the mid 19th century and was particularly fond of 1 dish; stir-fry of cubed chicken and Sichuan chiles with spicy Sichuan peppers. He loved it soo much that the dish was named after him: gong bao or kung pao chicken.
Origin: Sichuan
Ingredients
The chicken
- 28 ounces (800g) chicken breast cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoon white wine
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon Windmill Potato Starch
The sauce
- 200 ml chicken stock
- 5 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 3 teaspoon sweet soy sauce
- 1 red pepper
- 4 tablespoon Chinese Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Windmill Potato Starch
And the additionals
- 4 tablespoons of cooking oil
- 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 carrot cut into small cubes
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 8 cut dried chiles
- 1 tablespoon ground Sichuan peppercorns
- 5 green onions cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup roasted/unsalted peanuts
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil to flavor at the end before serving
- 1 teaspoon Windmill Potato Starch
Preparation
Step 1: the chicken
- Cut chicken breast into medium-sized cubes
- Add the 2 teaspoons Windmill potato starch to the diced chicken. Let it rest for 10 minutes
Step 2: the sauce
- Combine the (warm) stock, soy sauces, Chinese black vinegar, Shaoxing wine, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, cane sugar and Windmill potato starch and whisk slightly.
Step 3: stir fry
- Heat a large pan. Add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, then add chicken cubes. Fry chicken for 3 minutes, blush with white wine and light soy sauce, warm for 2 more minutes, and set aside in a bowl.
- Use the same pan to stir fry the garlic, ginger, chili diced peppers (capsicums) and Sichuan peppercorns for 1 minute.
- Add the sauce to the garlic, ginger, chili and pepper mix and bring it to a boil while stirring.
- Because of the Potato starch, the sauce will thicken; once that happens, add chicken and mix all of the ingredients through the sauce until the chicken is evenly coated, and the sauce has thickened (approx 2 minutes)
- Stir in green onions, peanuts and sesame oil and cook for 2 minutes so that all flavors blend nicely.
- Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice and cucumbers to blush your tastebuds.
