Kung Pao Chicken

Total Time: 20 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb chicken breast, diced
• 2 -3 dried chilies
• cornstarch, mixed with a little cornstarch (binder)
• 1/2 cup peanuts (dry roasted or fried)
• 3 drops sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon dry sherry
• 3 drops vegetable oil
• 1 -3 clove minced garlic
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh gingerroot (optional)
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1/4 cup sliced bamboo shoot (, or thinly sliced carrot)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 -3 teaspoon hot sauce (chinese chilie paste with garlic works well. if you use it you may want to cut back on the minced ga)
• 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon vinegar (i use chinese red vinegar but , cider or asian rice, unseasoned vinegar are also ok.)
• 1/4 cup chicken stock

Recipe

• 1 have a heat proof bowl handy.
• 2 line it with a heat proof colander or sieve.
• 3 you will cook the chicken in what seems a lot of oil but it gets poured into the sieve allowing any excess to drain off while you finish the dish.
• 4 the fire should be on high for the whole cooking process.
• 5 heat a wok to smoking and pour in enough oil to cover the chicken.
• 6 when the oil is hot, carefully add the chicken.
• 7 stir until just cooked.
• 8 this shouldn't take more than a minute or so.
• 9 carefully pour the contents of the wok into the sieve-lined bowl.
• 10 reheat the wok and pour in 2- 3 t of the oil.
• 11 add the dried chilies and stir them until they're charred.
• 12 (warning: make sure you have your exhaust fan turned on high since the chilies throw off some nasty fumes)!
• 13 stir in the seasonings; when they start to smell strong (about 10- 20 seconds) add the vegetables.
• 14 stir fry until they are cooked but still crispy (a minute or two).
• 15 give the sauce a good stir and pour into the wok.
• 16 stir until it begins to bubble.
• 17 return the chicken and keep stirring to heat through.
• 18 thicken by stirring a little of the binder into the sauce.
• 19 (note: add only a little of the binder at a time to avoid making the sauce gummy).
• 20 stir in a few drops of sesame oil.
• 21 sprinkle the peanuts on top.
• 22 serve immediately on a heated platter.