After a week-long break, I’m back with a brand new and delicious recipe for Kung Pao Chicken. This is my take on the original dish. It all started midweek while I was enjoying bites of boneless chicken tossed in a tangy sauce with friends at a local bar. This inspired me to create an easy recipe for spicy Kung Pao Chicken, which is perfect for both snacks with drinks and as a main course. The chicken tastes just as delicious when paired with rice.
I’m a big fan of crunch, so I’m always drawn to crunchy textures. Just like I enjoyed an array of crunchy pakoras during my recent trip to Korlai—described in detail in an earlier blog—Kung Pao Chicken offers a refreshing new twist on the classic recipe. With Sunday approaching faster than you think, I encourage you to give this recipe a try. You don’t always need Sichuan pepper or Chinese vinegar to make this dish right. I’ve used locally available ingredients to create this delightfully tasty meal.
Prep time – 10 minutes
Cook time – 15 minutes
Serves – 3
Ingredients:
Boneless Chicken ( cut to cube sized ) – 500 gm
Cornflour – 3 tbsp
Chopped ginger-garlic – 2 tbsp
Dried Chillies – 10 gms
Spring onion – 2 nos ( white and greens chopped and separated )
Soy sauce – 2 tbsp
Vinegar – 2 tbsp
Peanuts – 1/2 cup ( roasted )
Sesame Oil – 20 ml ( use separate oil for frying )
Ginger-garlic paste – 1/2 tbsp ( use if you prefer a strong umami flavour )
Sugar – 2 tbsp
Chicken stock – 30 ml ( use hot water if unavailable )
Salt – to taste
Instructions:
1 ) Mix the cornflour, soysauce, vinegar, ginger-garlic paste and sugar. Dip the chicken cubes and set aside for ten minutes.
2 ) Heat the oil for frying and fry the chicken till crisp brown ( leave the remaining sauce to be used later ). Remove and set aside.
3 ) In another pan heat sesame oil. Add chopped ginger-garlic and dried chillies and spring onion whites and stir fry lightly.
4 ) Add the chicken and the remaining sauce and spring onion greens along with stock and cook on a high flame for 2 minutes, add salt as desired. Add the peanuts and give a nice boil for a minute making sure the sauce is thick and drained. Remove from flame and serve hot. Garnish with more crushed peanuts and coriander.
