Kung Pao Chicken

Method

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1. Toss the chicken with the Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, cornflour and egg white until slick and coated. Leave 20 minutes at room temperature.

   Mark done

2. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set it within reach of the hob. Once you start cooking there is no time to measure.

   Mark done

3. Heat a wok over the highest heat until it smokes, then add 2 tablespoons of the oil and swirl.

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4. Add the chicken in a single layer and leave it undisturbed for 60 seconds to sear, then stir-fry 2 minutes more until just cooked. Remove to a plate.

   Mark done Start 60 sec timer

5. Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining oil, the dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns. Fry for 30 to 45 seconds until the chillies darken a shade and the oil smells intensely fragrant — burnt chillies will ruin the dish.

   Mark done Start 30 sec timer

6. Raise the heat again, add the garlic, ginger and the white parts of the spring onion and stir-fry 30 seconds.

   Mark done

7. Return the chicken, give the sauce a stir and pour it around the edge of the wok. Toss constantly for 45 seconds until it thickens and coats every piece.

   Mark done Start 45 sec timer

8. Off the heat, fold in the peanuts and the green spring onion. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

   Mark done

Chef’s Tips

• Prep everything into bowls before you light the hob. Stir-frying is 90% preparation and 10% cooking.
• Deseed the dried chillies unless you want serious heat; the seeds carry most of it.
• Add the peanuts off the heat so they stay crunchy rather than going soft in the sauce.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the chillies in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.
• A quarter-teaspoon of ground ginger per tablespoon of fresh is the standard ratio if you are working from the spice rack rather than a fresh root.

Pairing Suggestions

• A cold lager or an off-dry Riesling
• Serve with plain steamed rice and stir-fried greens
• Finish with chilled lychees

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate 3 days. Reheat in a hot wok for 2 minutes; the microwave makes the chicken rubbery and the peanuts soggy.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.