Recipe - Stir Fry Kung Pao Chicken

This recipe has its origin from Sichuan, a province in China known for spicy food. It also made its way into the list of China's official cuisine during the 2008 Olympics. Originally, the chicken pieces are deep fried separately before they are mixed with the spicy sauce to give a sweet, sour and spicy flavour.

I use chicken fillet for this recipe and I mix the chicken pieces together with the marinade and sauce for convenience.

Ingredients:
300 grams chicken fillet, cut into bite size


Marinade and sauce:
1 lime juice (alternatively can use rice wine or sherry)
1 tbs of oyster sauce
1 tsp of dark soy
1 tsp of light soy
1 tbs of sugar
1 tbs of cornstarch
1 tsp of sesame oil

Condiments for frying:
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 garlic, finely chopped
1 tbs of finely chopped ginger
3 dried chillies, cut into pieces
2 small chillies cut into pieces for extra kick
half tsp peppercorn
1 tbs of cooking oil

Method:
Mix the chicken pieces with the marinade and sauce in a bowl.
The lime juice and the cornstarch will tenderise the chicken, so the the longer the chicken marinate, the better.

In a wok or pan, heat the oil and toss in all the condiments for frying.
When the condiments are fragrant, toss in the chicken and stir fry evenly.
Add a bit of water if necessary.
Cooking time is about 5 minutes.

It is always nice to add roasted peanuts or cashew nuts for added crunch and flavour.

In this 4 minute video, sauce is added separately.

A video from Food Ranger on how a Chinese restaurant in Sichuan Province prepare kung pao chicken