Spicy Kung Pao Chicken

So, after years and years of being busy I finally found some time to blog. I kind of felt obligated to share my success with certain recipes with friends and readers around the world.  

I will start with another favorite recipe of mine, Kung Pao Chicken!

As soon as I posted picture of it on my facebook account, I started getting request from friends to share the recipe. 

So here it is. 

Inspiration: 

After being struck with flu last week, I had lost my appetite. Suddenly I found myself craving for something super spicy that has no carbs (moderate carbs are  a OK) in it. In addition to being quick and easy it is excellent leftover the next day that you can eat with asian salad or fried rice/noodles. If you have all the ingredients available it takes minutes to make it. My family loves it for weeknight dinner. Though I have to confess that my daughter likes my fried noodles more than the Kung Pao. 

History of Kung Pao:

Here’s one more fun fact about Kung Pao Chicken: it’s allegedly named after Ding Baozhen, a late Qing dynasty official who was the head of Shandong province and later the governor of Sichuan province. The name “Kung Pao” is derived from his title, “Gong Bao,” which means “palace guardian.” During the Cultural Revolution, Kung Pao Chicken became a politically incorrect dish because of its association with Ding Baozhen. Until the 1980s, most menus listed it as “fast fried chicken cubes” or “chicken cubes with seared chiles.” Not exactly appetizing names, huh?

Variations:

My variation to the recipe is using store bought kung pao sauce (any brand is fine) but I added my own Indo-chinese twist to it by adding Ching’s dark soy sauce and Sambal. For kids I added few extra greens in it. You can make vegetarian variation by replacing it with Indian cottage cheese (Paneer) or Tofu (Extra Firm one). When you start cooking make sure that heat is on maximum high and you have all your vegetable precut and sauce bottles open. Chinese cooking is always on high heat (this save the nutrient content) and timing is the key ingredient.

 
The secret to making legit Kung Pao Chicken are these little babies. Sichuan peppercorns. Sad, I couldn't find them in the local grocery stores. I had no time to go to local asian market to buy them. But the next time you are there don't forget to pile on them. They go well with our Indian stir fry of spinach , mustard or Kale.

Ingredients:

Boneless Chicken Breast ( cut into thin strips) around 3-4 pound.

Dark Soy sauce ( 1 tbsp for marination and 2 tbsp for stir fry)

Ginger Garlic Paste ( ½ tsp for marinating, 1 tbsp for stir fry)

1 egg

2 tbsp Corn Flour

Canola Oil, 1 tbsp for shallow frying  and 1.5 tbsp for stir frying

4 cloves of chopped garlic

Dry Red Chilies ( 6-8 long one without stem)

Fresh Vegetables cut into small chunks: Green and Red bell peppers, Small button Mushrooms, Broccoli, Celery, Spring Onions, Sliced Sweet Yellow Onions

Handful of Skinned peanuts (get the best one from Asian stores)

Sauces per your taste: Ching’s Dark Soy Sauce , Sambal, Ching’s  Chili Vinegar , Kung Pao Sauce (store bought, Any brand)

 

Process:

 

1.       Marinate the Meat : Boneless Chicken Breast cut into thin strips and marinated in soy sauce, chopped garlic, salt and pepper, egg and corn flour for at least 2 hours. You can skip 2 hour marinating if you are in hurry. Skip this process for Paneer or Tofu. You can directly fry them. 

 

2.       Shallow fry with Canola Oil : Use Canola oil for shallow frying the chicken in small batches.  Keep aside.

 

3.       Stir fry :   

 

a.       In a wide and open vessel heat some oil. Make sure the heat is always on maximum high.

 

b.      Immediately add some chopped garlic and dry red chilies and Ginger-Garlic paste.

 

c.       Add Sliced onions and mushroom.

 

d.       Let the Mushroom turn little brown then add Small Chunks of Green and Red bell peppers, Broccoli, Celery, Spring Onions (half of it )

 

e.      Stir fry for 5 -8 minutes on high.

 

f.        Add the Sauces( one at a time) and pre fried chicken pieces. Sauce should be enough to coat the chicken pieces.

 

g.       Stir fry for another 5 minutes.

 

h.      Add rest of the half of spring onion and peanuts. Mix well.

i.     Adjust Salt and pepper per your taste in the end. I wait to add salt until the end as all the sauces have some amount of sodium/salt in them.

 

 

     Serve hot with fried hakka noodles or fried rice.

 

Picture time: