Name: Kung Pao Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 4 garlic cloves, peeled; 15 g fresh ginger, peeled; 125 ml low-sodium soy sauce; 60 ml hoisin sauce; 40 ml Shaoxing cooking wine; 15 ml sesame oil; 2 g Sichuan peppercorns, toasted and crushed; 9 g granulated sugar; 12 g cornstarch; Black pepper, to taste; 1.2 kg boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced; 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced; 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced; 2 fresh long red chillies, cut into 2 cm pieces; 6 spring onions, white and green parts separated; 300 g jasmine rice; 500 ml water; 1 pinch salt; 50 g chopped peanuts; 30 ml peanut oil

Method

12 steps

Finely grate the garlic and ginger into a paste.
Whisk the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, Sichuan peppercorns, sugar, cornstarch and black pepper together until smooth.
Place the diced chicken in a bowl. Add one-quarter of the sauce, toss well and marinate for 30 minutes. Reserve the remaining sauce.
Meanwhile, combine the jasmine rice, water and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 12 minutes.
Turn off the heat and leave the rice covered for 4 minutes, then fluff it with a fork.
Toast the peanuts in a dry pan over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes. Transfer them to a plate.
Heat the peanut oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in batches for 6–7 minutes, until browned and cooked through. Transfer it to a clean plate.
Add the bell peppers and chillies to the same pan and stir-fry for approximately 5 minutes.
Add the spring-onion whites and stir-fry for another 2 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pan and pour in the reserved sauce.
Stir continuously for approximately 1 minute, until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken and vegetables.
Stir in the toasted peanuts, garnish with the spring-onion greens and serve with the jasmine rice.

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