Gong Bao (Kung Pao) Chicken with Peanuts

Category	Main Dish
Classification	Asian
Added By	Phyllis Watson
Added On	Sat Sep 26 21:00:05 UTC 2009
Prep Time
Yield	2 as a main dish with stir-fry veg and rice, 4 with 3 other dishes
Source	Land of Plenty by Fuchsia Dunlop
Comment	This is mighty good

Ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts, 2/3 pound; skin or not, your choice
3 cloves garlic
ginger - same amount as garlic
5 scallions white parts only
2 tablespoons peanut oil
generous handful of Sichuanese dried red chilis( at least 10) - I used several jalopenos
1 teaspoon whole Sichuan pepper
2/3 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
MARINADE
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teasoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine or medium dry sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons potato flour or 2 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
SAUCE
3 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon potato flour or 1 1/8 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
3 teaspoons Chinkiang or black Chinese vinegar
1 tablespoon chicken stock or water

Directions

1. Cut the chicken as evenly as possible into 1/2 inch strips and then cut these into small cubes. Place in a small bowl and mix in the marinade ingredients.

2. Peel and thinly slice the garlic and ginger, and chop the scallions into chunks as long as their diameter (to match the chicken cubes). snip the chilis in half or into 2-inch sections. Wearing rubber gloves, discard as many seeds as possible.

3. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl - if you dip your finger in, you can taste the sweet-sour base of the gong bao flavor.

4. Season the wok, then add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat over a high flame. When the oil is hot but not yet smoking, add the chiles and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry briefly until they are crisp and the oil is spicy and fragrant. Take care not to burn the spices (you can remove the wok from the heat if necessary to prevent overheating).

5. Quickly add the chicken and fry over a high flame, stirring constantly. As soon as the chicken cubes have separated, add the ginger, garlic, and scallions and continue to stir-fry for a few minutes until they are fragrant and the meat is cooked through (test one of the larger pieces to make sure).

The same dish can be made with cubes of pork, shrimp, or prawns.

Cashew nuts can be used instead of peanuts for a grander version of this dish, although peanuts are more traditional.

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