Archive for January 25th, 2010

Chinese pronounced ‘gong-bao-ji-ding’, gong means royalty; and bao means pow or explosion so semi-literally translated, this dish is a royal explosion of chicken goodness.   The “real” version does not have big chucks of yellow onions, red and green peppers.  The primary ingredient is chicken!  The most important component of the dish is the Sichuan peppercorns. It is these peppercorns that give its distinctive tingling or numbing flavor. Use of dried red chilies along with the Sichuan peppercorn creates the hot and numbing goodness that makes this dish one-of – kind.

THE “REAL” KUNG PAO CHICKEN

2 boneless chicken thighs

Marinade:

1 tablespoon shaoshing wine

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 egg white

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Aromatics:

8 small dried red chilies, seeds removed, cut into small sections

1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped ginger

Sauce:

1 tablespoon shaoshing wine

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon granulated sugar (or agave nectar)

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

1 scallion, cut into 1″ diagonal slices

1. Cut the chicken into cubes. Combine with marinade ingredients and set aside for ten minutes.
2. Heat oil in a wok or large sauté pan. When oil is hot, add chilies and Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry until aromatics release their fragrance and chilies are almost black. Remove the peppercorns and chilies from the oil with a slotted spoon and discard.
3. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry briefly until they become fragrant.
4. Add chicken and briefly stir-fry until chicken is almost cooked, ~ 3 minutes.
5. Add sauce ingredients. Stir until mixture thickens and chicken is cooked through.
6. Toss in the peanuts, scallions and a few dried red peppers to garnish; serve with rice and vegetables