Kung Pao Chicken, Step-by-Step Stir-Fry Easy!

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Following other bloggers’ blogs is always a very enriching experience.

… and if any of them are fellow Foodies,  it can  also have very tasty repercussions indeed.

On January 28, 2011 Raymund, who’s blog is called”Ang Sarap (A Tagalog word for “It’s Delicious”)  featured a recipe called  Kung Pao Chicken.

Raymund has given us an excellent description of the recipe  in his blog post so if you’d like to know more,  please just follow the link:

http://angsarap.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/kung-pao-chicken/

The photograph instantly got my attention and the  ingredient list had me swiftly pressing the “print” button, so that this recipe could make it’s way to my kitchen sometime soon too.

Last Sunday Himself and I  had some people over for a lunch meeting. I’m still in plaster and although it’s a walking plaster I still need crutches and it’s early days (if I’m up for any length of time my foot swells a lot) so ideally we need a very simple recipe that I can prepare in stages (and have a rest in between) and that doesn’t take long to throw together at the end.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Stir-fry menu  possibilities spring to mind, and a nano second later I remember this recipe.

Himself  is dispatched to the supermarket (he didn’t find Chinese wine, but found out from Raymund that Sherry could be substituted so used that.)

I am going to take liberties and change the original recipe just  fraction, by adding some broccoli, onion, and tagué (bean sprouts) so that I can increase the vegetables quota in more of less one stir-fry dish.

Let’s take a look at Raymund’s recipe and go cook!

Kung Pao Chicken  

Ingredients: (Note: I’m cooking for a crowd  in these photo so have quadrupled the recipe)

700g boneless chicken thighs, cubed
3 tsp soy sauce
1/2 cup Chinese cooking wine
3 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp cornstarch
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 spring onions, chopped
1 carrot, julienned
peanut oil
1 tbsp cayenne pepper (use less if you don’t want it to spicy)
1/2 cup roasted peanuts

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Method

1. Marinate chicken in 3 tsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine, 2 tsp sesame oil and 2 tsp cornstarch for at least an hour.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

2. Heat the wok then add peanut oil, add chicken and quickly stir fry in high heat for a minute.  Remove chicken then set aside.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

3. Using the same wok add more peanut oil if needed then sauté garlic and cayenne pepper, put in high heat then add the carrots and chicken.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

4. Add the remaining Chinese wine, dark soy sauce, brown sugar and peanuts.  Bring to a rapid boil then stir in spring onions.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

5. Remove from heat then drizzle sesame oil on top.

(Apologies that the nest photos are not so clear.. Himself was hovering waiting to take the dish to the table and then I wasn’t sitting in the place with best light…  but as usual I figure that a bad photo is better than none)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

This, our Main course was very well received indeed… Thanks Raymund for a wonderful lunch!  Ang Sarap!