Kung Pow chicken recipe needed...?!
Answers: I need an authentic recipe for Kung Pow chicken. But not the American version....I want to recreate what I had in Shanghai and Beijing. It was spicy, but with a different taste then what I get here. It also had peanuts or cashews.
Gōng bǎo jī dīng (宫保鸡丁), the original Sichuan version of Kung Pao chicken, uses chicken (鸡; jī in Chinese) as its primary ingredient. In this authentic original version, diced chicken is typically mixed with a pre-prepared marinade. The wok is seasoned and then the chiles and Sichuan peppercorns are flash fried to add fragrance to the oil. Then the chicken is stir fried and vegetables, along with peanuts, are added. Shaoxing wine is used to enhance flavor in the marinade.
Fresh, moist, unroasted peanuts or cashew nuts[2] are often used instead of their pre-roasted versions. In such situations, the peanuts or cashew nuts are dropped into the hot oil on the bottom of the wok first, then deep fried until golden brown before the other ingredients are added.
In Sichuan, or when preparing authentic gōng bǎo jī dīng, only Sichuan-style chilis such as cháo tiān jiāo (朝天椒) or qī xīng jiāo (七星椒) are used. Smaller, thinner Sichuanese varieties may also be used.
The most important component of the dish is handfuls of the Sichuan peppercorns (花椒; pinyin: huā jiāo). It is these peppercorns that give authentic gōng bǎo jī dīng its distinctive numbing flavor. Use of má là wèi xíng (痲辣味型), or hot and numbing flavor, is a typical element of Sichuan cooking. Sichuan peppercorns, along with red chilis, are the key components of má là wèi xíng.
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
1 lb. boned, skinned chicken breasts - cubed
3 Tbls. soy sauce - divided
1 1/2 Tbls. cornstarch mixed with 1 1/2 Tbls. cold water
1 Tbls. dry sherry
1 Tbls. granulated sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sesame oil
3 1/2 Tbls. vegetable oil - divided
1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
4-8 dried red chili peppers - chopped
1 slice peeled, fresh ginger - chopped
1 clove garlic - sliced
Directions:
Combine chicken, 1 Tbls. soy sauce, and cornstarch/water mixture; allow to marinate for 30 minutes.
Combine 2 Tbls. soy sauce, sherry, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and sesame oil; set aside.
In a hot wok, stir-fry the peanuts in 1 1/2 Tbls. vegetable oil until golden brown, remove peanuts from wok, and set aside.
Fill wok with vegetable oil for frying and heat to 350 degrees. Carefully slide the chicken into the wok, piece by piece, and fry for 1 minute.
Remove chicken from oil and drain on a brown paper bag. Remove oil from wok.
In hot wok, stir-fry the red peppers in 2 Tbls. vegetable oil until they turn dark. Add ginger, garlic, and chicken to the wok and fry, stirring constantly. Stir the prepared sauce and add to the wok. Stir and cook wok contents until the sauce is thickened. Stir in peanuts and serve.
~~~OR~~~
Ingredients:
1 1/2 boneless & skinless chicken breast (or 3 boneless & skinless chicken drumsticks)
3 tablespoons roasted peanuts
8-12 dried red chilies (deseeded and cut into halves)
3 tablespoons cooking oil
5 slices peeled fresh ginger
2 gloves garlic (sliced diagonally)
1 stalk scallion (chopped)
For the marinate:
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1 teaspoon oil
For the sauce:
1 1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon black vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon corn starch
Method:
Cut the chicken meat into small cubes, rinse in water, pat dry with water and marinate with the ingredients above for 30 minutes.
Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat up a wok with one tablespoon cooking oil and stir-fry the marinated chicken until they are 70% cook. Dish out and set aside.
Clean the wok and add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of cooking oil until it smokes.
Add in the ginger and garlic slices and do a quick stir before adding in the dried red chilies.
Stir fry the dried red chilies until aromatic and they smell spicy, then add in the chicken meat.
Do a quick stir before adding in the roasted peanuts and continue to stir a few times.
Add in the sauce and stir continuously until the chicken meat is nicely coated with the sauce.
Add in the scallions and stir evenly.
Dish out and serve hot with steamed white rice.
Cook's Notes:
You can use the same recipe and substitute chicken with shrimp, scallops, or even vegetables for a vegetarian dish.
As different soy sauce tastes differently and has different level of sodium so please adjust the saltiness accordingly. If the sauce tastes too salty, add some more sugar and water. If it's not salty, add a little salt to taste.
Shanghai Kung Bow Gai Ding
MMMMM----------------------MARINATE CHICKEN---------------------------
1 c Chicken; uncooked, skinned,
- boned & cubed 1/2"
1 tb Peanut oil
1 ts Light soy sauce
1 1/2 tb Dark soy sauce
1 ts Cornstarch
1/4 ts Five Spice Powder
MMMMM---------------------PREPARE VEGETABLES--------------------------
1 ea Clove garlic; crushed
1 c Green pepper; squared 1/2"
1 ea Carrot; roll cut
1 ea Celery; thin diagonal sliced
2 ea Scallions; chopped
1/2 c Bamboo shoots; sliced
1/2 c Water chestnuts; chopped
1/2 c Dried black mushrooms;
- soak in hot water 15 mins,
- drain, slice if necessary
1/4 ts Fresh ginger; grated
MMMMM---------------------------TOAST-...
1 ts Szechuan peppercorns
1/2 c Raw peanuts; hulled
MMMMM---------------------------OTHER-...
2 ts Peanut oil
1 x Piece (1 inch long) dry red
- Hot pepper =OR=
1 ts To 3 Chili paste
- with garlic; to taste
Marinate the chicken with oil, soy sauces & cornstarch for at least 1
hour.
Prepare vegetables.
Heat wok to just smoking stage. Toast Szechuan peppercorns, shaking
wok constantly, for about 3 minutes, set aside. Toast nuts for about
4 minutes, shaking wok constantly, set aside. Remove wok from heat.
Crush peppercorns (side of Chinese pattern knife/cleaver works good).
Reheated wok on high. Add 2 teaspoons oil. Quickly swirl crushed
garlic clove over the bottom and sides, then discard. Add the
marinated chicken, stirring occasionally, until opaque; remove. Add
the green and red pepper (if used), carrots and celery; stir fry for
3 minutes. Add all remaining and set-aside ingredients (also add
chili sauce, if not using red pepper). Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Serve immediately, over rice.
Notes:
* Having visited Shanghai and enjoyed the true Chinese cuisine I
decided to try and duplicate some dishes. Here's one that was
successful ;) This is very close to one version I had in a back alley
off Nanjing Lu at the recommendation of someone on the lu (no, not
=that= loo ;).
* The dark soy sauce is absolutely required.
* The title is how they spelled it, not me!
* Raw cashews, I found out later, are much better (=not= toasted).
* If sauce is too thin, add 1:1 mix of cornstarch and cold water
gradually at the end. If too thick, add water.
* The amounts of oil required will vary according to your wok.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 large sweet red pepper, thin sliced
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts
3 large cloves garlic, minced
3 dried red chili peppers, crushed
1 bunch scallions cut into 1/2 inch pieces
***Sauce:***
4 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
4 tablespoons hoison sauce
2 tablespoons bean curd paste
1 tablespoon black bean sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
***Marinade:***
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoons baking soda
***
peanut oil
Directions:
Slice and chop all necessary ingredients in advance. Mix the marinade and mix into the chicken cubes; allow to sit for at least 1/2 hour. Prepare the sauce by combining the wine and cornstarch and until the cornstarch is incorporated then mixing the remaining ingredients together in a bowl. Heat about 3 tablespoons of the peanut oil and stir fry the chicken until just done; stir fry in two batches if necessary. Set aside. Heat 3 tablespoons peanut oil and stir fry the peanuts for about one minute, being careful not to let them burn, if you do, throw them away and start over. Add the celery, garlic, scallions and red pepper and continue stir frying for three minutes. Add in the chicken and stir fry an additional minute. Reduce the heat and add the sauce and allow to simmer for about 1 to 2 minutes to thicken. Toss to coat chicken and veggies with sauce.
Ingredients:
*2 Tbsp wine vinegar
*2 Tbsp soy sauce
*2 tsp sugar
*1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bites (the smaller the better)
*Cornstarch
*2 tsp oil
*3 Tbsp chopped scallion
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1.5 Tbsp crushed red pepper
*2 tsp ground ginger
*1/3 cup peanuts dry roasted, unsalted
*4 cups cooked rice
Mix together wine vinegar, soy sauce and sugar and set aside. After cutting chicken, coat it with cornstarch (I shake it around in a Ziploc). Heat oil in the wok and stir-fry chicken until cooked. Remove chicken from pan and add onion, garlic, red pepper, and ginger. Stir fry 15 seconds. Add wine vinegar mixture and chicken, stirring to coat. Mix in peanuts and serve over rice.
The quantities of garlic, red peper, and ginger can be adjusted to taste...the quantities listed are about an 8 in hotness on a scale from 1-10.
One caveat...I've tried to double this recipe, because it really only feeds 2-3 people, but the sauce doesn't double accurately. Use caution if increasing amounts.
I just read the receipe above me, it sounds yummy. Put extra on. I'm coming for dinner. lol From Aussie
I've never been to China and I would be very interested to find out which recipe you'll try out from the answers and come up with the dish as close to the one U had in Shanghai. :)
3/4 lb. chicken, cubed
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 egg white
1/2 c. peanut oil
1 c. peanuts
1 can water chestnuts
1/4 c. chopped onion
2 sm. garlic cloves, chopped
1 or 2 tsp. szechuan sauce
4 tbsp. soy sauce
3 tbsp. sherry
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
Prepare chicken by mixing with the first three ingredients (salt, cornstarch, egg white) refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Cook in a wok. Heat oil, add chicken in batches and cook. Remove chicken and add peanuts for 30 seconds. Drain peanuts.
Put chicken in wok, add onion, all spices and the peanuts. Mix chicken broth and cornstarch together, add to mixture. Serve over rice.
Kung Pow! Chicken
Sesame oil really adds to this Kung Pao Chicken recipe
1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 egg white
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon chinese chili paste with garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon oriental sesame oil
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts
4 green onions, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
In a small bowl, combine chicken with egg white and 3 teaspoons of the cornstarch, toss to coat.
In another bowl, blend chili paste, soy sauce, sherry, vinegar, broth, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and sesame oil. Set sauce aside.
Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and stir fry until it separates and turns white, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
Fry the peanuts in the oil over medium heat until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes. (You may need to add a bit more oil). Remove and drain.
Remove all but 2 tablespoons oil from the pan, stir fry onions, garlic and hot pepper for 30 seconds. Add chicken, and stir fry over high heat 1 minute.
Add the sauce, stir fry until heated through and thickened. Add peanuts and stir.
http://www.recipezaar.com/125861
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