Monday, November 16, 2009

Recipe -- Kung Pao Chicken

And here is Lucy's much more respectably Chinese Kung Pao Chicken recipe!

INGREDIENTS:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 7 to 8 ounces each

Marinade:
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Sauce:
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon sugar

Other:
8 small dried red chili peppers
2 cloves garlic
2 green onions (spring onions, scallions)
4 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, or as needed
1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorn, optional
1/2 cup peanuts or cashews
a few drops sesame oil, optional

PREPARATION:
Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Combine with the marinade ingredients, adding the cornstarch last. Marinate the chicken for 25 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the sauce and vegetables: In a small bowl, combine the dark soy sauce, rice wine, and sugar.

Set aside.

Cut the chilies in half so that they are approximately the same size as the chicken cubes. Remove the seeds. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Cut the green onion on the diagonal into thirds.

Heat the wok over medium-high to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Stir-fry until it turns white and is 80 percent cooked. Remove from the wok.

Add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds). Add the chili peppers and the Szechuan peppercorn if using. Stir-fry briefly until they turn dark red.

Add the sauce to the wok. Bring to a boil. Add the chicken back into the pan. Stir in the peanuts and the green onion. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil. Serve hot.

2 comments:

Lorraine Dusky said...

Love that you are posting Chinese recipes. Looooooove it.

Keep up the good work, I always enjoy reading your blog. Your head is screwed on so straight. As for the current issue, I heard a zillion stories about family heirlooms that do NOT go to the adopted person, adding to their sense of otherness. This is how adoption-reformer Florence Fisher, in fact, learned she was adopted for sure. Her mother died and the aunts did not want her to have her mother's jewelry. It's a fact of adoption, like it or not. Thanks for bringing up such a sensitive issue.

lorraine from
www.firstmotherforum.com

The Gang's Momma! said...

This sounds so yummy. I think I'll try this one sometime soon too. Thanks for sharing it :)