Kung Pao Chicken

I absolutely adore Kung Pao Chicken.  And once you’ve shopped at the Asian market for a few items, like bean sauce, the dish is ridiculously easy to put together.  This was lunch today.  I’m not sure why I don’t make this more often.

Kung Pao Chicken

Here’s the recipe I use.  Long ago I adapted it to suit our tastes from Rhoda Yee’s Szechwan & Northern Cooking, a much-loved and soy sauce-stained ancient tome from my cookbook collection which is now sadly out of print but which, I see, you can pick up used from Amazon for the princely sum of $0.26, plus shipping.

Kung Pao Chicken, adapted from Szechwan & Northern Cooking

4 chicken thighs, boned and cut into small cubes

Meat marinade:

2 teaspoons tapioca starch (can use cornstarch)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sherry
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 small green pepper, seeded and cut into cubes
2/3 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts
1 tablespoon garlic, minced

Sauce Mixture:

3 teaspoons Hoisin sauce
3 teaspoons bean sauce
3 teaspoons soy sauce
3 teaspoons sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon sugar

Combine sauce ingredients and set aside.

Combine marinade ingredients (starch, sesame oil, sherry, and soy sauce) and pour over chicken.  Mix well.  Allow to marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Heat wok until hot.  Add about ¼ cup oil and heat to medium hot.  Fry peanuts until golden (note: this happens fast.)  Remove peanuts and in the same oil stir fry the green pepper for 1 minute.  Remove pepper.  Add garlic and chicken.  Stir fry until chicken becomes firm.  Add sauce mixture and stir until well thickened.  Add green peppers and peanuts and mix well.

Serves 3-4.

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