Kung-Pao Chicken

Life is strange... Although I am Taiwanese, I often find Asian recipes the most difficult to make. Perhaps it's because I have grown fond of American and European food and therefore my palate knows the ingredients better. No matter the reason, I know my weakness, and I aim to improve.

Kung-pao chicken is something you can probably buy for pretty cheap at a take-out place, but often the quality of the chicken is not great or the spiciness level is too much or not up to par. Also, although there is enough steps and ingredients in the recipe, there is nothing too difficult or unfamiliar. Therefore, I decided to tackle this recipe as my initial steps to learn Asian cuisine. Baby steps, baby steps!

I do love how I could control how much hot red peppers I put in this dish, because I like food SPICY! I also like how I have the option to omit water chestnut, because I always pick them out when I order take-out. It just happens that I have some leftover baby lettuce in the fridge that shaped like cups, so I put the kung-pao chicken in them to add some fun to dinner!

Serving Size:

Makes 4 servings 

Ingredients:

·         1 1/2 lbs chicken meat, cut in bite size pieces

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1 egg whites

·         1 tablespoon cornstarch

·         4 tablespoons peanut oil, divided

·         1/2 cup roasted peanuts, skinless

·         10 whole dried red chili peppers

·         4 green onions, cut into 1/2-inch lengths

·         2 garlic cloves, minced

·         1/2 cup water chestnuts, diced (optional)

SAUCE

·         1 teaspoon chili paste with garlic

·         2 tablespoons soy sauce

·         1 tablespoon sherry wine

·         1 teaspoon rice vinegar

·         1 teaspoon sugar

·         1/4 cup chicken broth

·         1 teaspoon cornstarch

·         1 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions:

1.       Combine chicken, salt, egg white, and cornstarch. Mix well by hand and set aside.

2.       In a small bowl, blend all sauce ingredients. Set aside.

3.       Add 2 tablespoons oil to heated wok and stir fry chicken. Cook the chicken until it's golden to golden brown on each side. Remove to serving bowl.

4.       Add 2 more tablespoons oil to same wok.

5.       Toss peanuts and chili peppers in the wok and stir fry until peppers turn dark red.

6.       Remove from wok and add to chicken. Lower Heat. If necessary, add more oil.

7.       Stir fry green onions and garlic for several seconds. (Do not let garlic burn.).

8.       Return chicken, peanuts and peppers to wok and stir fry a few seconds to combine.

9.       Add water chestnuts and combined sauce ingredients and stir fry till heated through and thickened (less than a minute).