Kung Pao Chicken 宮保雞丁

Ingredients

• 600 g Boneless chicken
• 3 stalks Chinese leeks
• 4 cloves Garlic (chopped)
• 80 g Skinless fried peanuts
• 10 g Dried chilies
• 2 tbsp Oil
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp Light soy sauce
• ½ tsp Sugar
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1 ½ tsp Corn starch
• 60 ml Water
• 1 tsp Oil
• 1 tbsp Light soy sauce
• 1 tsp Dark soy sauce
• ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Corn starch
• 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
• 3 tbsp Water

Steps

1. 1

   If your peanuts have not been fried, you will need to remove the skin, and then either toast or fry them in a pan with or without oil until golden. Use low heat. Remove from heat and set aside

2. 2

   Cut chicken into 2.5cm (1”) cubes and place in a mixing bowl the size of my chicken is relatively larger than what is typical. I do this because I am not deep frying my chicken beforehand and so the chicken needs to cook longer in the wok. Plus, I’m a bit slower than restaurant chefs so larger pieces will make it less likely for me to overcook the chicken. You can cut them smaller if you like

3. 3

   Add 1 tsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp sugar, ½ tsp salt, 1 ½ tsp cornstarch and 60 ml water to the diced chicken Adding water to meat is a technique called 打水 (dá shǔi) or “hit water” (hitting the meat with water). This will make your meat moist and tender. I generally use 10:1 meat to water ratio

4. 4

   Mix all the ingredients with the chicken until all the water has been absorbed. Let sit for 5 minutes I find it easiest to use your hands to mix the ingredients. Water absorption is better when you squeeze the meat slightly with your hands while you stir in one direction and mix in the marinade.

5. 5

   Give the chicken a stir and add 1 tsp oil to the chicken, mix well and set aside This step is critical to seal the water with the meat

6. 6

   Wash the Chinese leeks, cut them into 4cm (1.5”) pieces and set aside

7. 7

   Prepare chopped garlic and measure dried chilies (approx. 1 big handful) Dried chilies are not very spicy. If you want to add more heat, you can chop up a few fresh Thai chilies. You can also add whole Sichuan peppercorn along with the dry chilies to add more heat!

8. 8

   Prepare sauce by combining 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar and 3 tbsp water

9. 9

   Heat your wok to medium-high, add 2 tbsp oil

10. 10

    Add dried chilies, the thick parts of the leeks and garlic to the wok. Fry for 10-15 seconds until you smell the garlic aroma and remove from the wok, leaving only the oil in the wok You’ll notice that in my photo, I did not remove the chilies and garlic which resulted in my chilies being burnt

11. 11

    Turn up the heat to high You get best results for this dish on high heat, but you can use medium-high heat as well

12. 12

    Put the chicken into the wok in a single layer. Make some breathing space between some of the chicken pieces to allow the steam to escape. Do not stir or move the chicken for 1 minute This will allow for the chicken to get a good sear

13. 13

    After 1 minute, flip the chicken over and don’t move it for 30 seconds

14. 14

    After 30 seconds, start stir-frying the chicken and add the garlic and chilies and mix well

15. 15

    Spread the chicken to the side of the wok, add peanuts and leeks to the centre of the wok.

16. 16

    Stir-fry everything together for 30 seconds to a minute.

17. 17

    Add 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine to the outer part of the wok (not directly on the food) and stir-fry

18. 18

    Clear some space in the middle of the wok. Stir the prepared sauce mixture and add it to the cleared space and stir-fry everything together until sauce has thickened and chicken is done

19. 19

    Serve