Kung Pao Chicken

Been hearing about Kung Pao chicken for a while now and it seems to be a favorite Chinese take-away dish in any American sitcoms or movies, so much so I wanted to give it a go to see what was the rave all about. 
Here's my two cents say - it is a nice dish but lacks the kick I so much wanted from the chili. I suppose one can rectify by  topping up the chili or add some chili powder to amp it further.

2 Chicken Breasts, skinless and cut into cubes

3 Tbsp Peanut Oil

4 stalks of Scallions, cut into 1 inch segments

3 cloves of Garlic, roughly chopped

1/2 inches of Ginger, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp of Sichuan Peppercorns - or reqular pepper would do

15 Dried Chilies, cut into 3/4 inch segments

50g Cashew Nuts, roasted

Marinade

1 Tbsp Chinese Rice Wine

2 tsp Light Soy Sauce

1 tsp salt

1 Egg White

2 tsp Cornflour

Sauce

2 Tbsp Chinese Black Vinegar

1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

1 tsp Sesame Oil

2 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Cornflour

100 ml Water

Marinate the chicken cubes for about 1 hour or overight.

Mix together all the sauce ingredients until well combined and set aside.

Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in the wok, sauté the marinated chicken for about 3 to 5 minutes. Dish out and set aside.

Add a bit more oil and toss in the Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies and sauté and set it aside.

With the remaining oil, sauté the ginger and garlic until fragrant.

                                 

Now add the chicken, Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilies and the prepared sauce. Add a wee bit of water if it tends to be too dry. Cover for a minute and  add the scallions and roasted cashew nuts, in my case I totally forgot about it. 
Give it a quick stir and serve immediately with white rice.

Enjoy...jue