What is the most popular and famous dish in Chinese restaurants in western countries? The answer has to be: Kung Pao Chicken. This dish was invented in the Qing Dynasty by an officer, which was about 300 years ago. Every time this officer had guests come over, he would ask his chief to make a dish with peanuts, chicken and chili. All the guests loved this dish. This dish became more and more famous, and the officer named it ‘Kung Pao Chicken’.
Kung Pao Chicken
Ingredients:300g chicken breasts
100g peanuts
1/2 egg white
2-3 spring onion
1 clove of garlic
5g ginger
10 prickly ashes
2-3 dry chilli pepper
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp hot bean sauce
2 tsp cornflour
1 tsp chilli pepper powder
3 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
cooking oil
Methods:
- Take a bowl with 50ml cold water, add white vinegar, light soy sauce, tomato paste, hot bean sauce, chilli pepper powder, sugar, salt and sesame oil, mix well to make a seasoning sauce.
- Cut the chicken breasts into cubes of about 2cm on each side. Cut the spring onion into sections 1cm long. Slice the ginger and garlic. Add the egg white and 1 tsp of cornflour into the chicken cubes, mix well.
- Heat up a wok with 3 tbsp of cooking oil over strong heat. Slippery-fry the chicken cubes for 2-3 minutes. Take out and drain off the oil.
- Put 2 tbsp of cooking oil in the wok, heat up over strong heat. Put the prickly ashes in to stir-fry, when you get a nice smell, take out the prickly ashes and keep the oil. Break the dry chilies into small sections, put them into the wok. Add ginger and garlic, stir. Add the mixed seasoning sauce, bring it to a boil and turn to medium heat.
- Put the chicken cubes in, stir-fry. Thicken the sauce with the mixture of 1 tsp of cornflour and 2 tbsp of cold water. Add peanuts and spring onion, stir for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat, sprinkle few drops of white vinegar and sesame oil, take out.
Tips:
- Dry chili pepper is optional.
- The peanuts should be cooked. If you only have raw peanuts, take off the shell and red skin underneath, stir-fry in a wok with hot oil until nice smell comes out.
