Kung Pao Chicken

After doing a bit of research into Kung Pao chicken, I found that there are a few different versions depending upon the region of origination in China. So this has become a bit of a mix up of those recipes and I've omitted some of the chillies - my heat tolerance is still pretty low - but feel free to throw in a few dried chillies along with the chicken. My recipe will give you an almost sweet and sour flavour with a background note of heat from the chilli sauce.

Side note: This recipe isn't as vibrantly red as those you might get in a restaurant or from your local takeaway, but that's ok. The traditional Sichuan Kung Pao isn't either. If you're missing that colour though, you could add some ketchup or Sichuan chilli oil (especially if you want more heat).

1 tbsp vegetable oil

3 chicken thighs, chopped into bite size pieces

1 tbsp chilli sauce, such as Sriracha

1/2 tsp Hoisin sauce

1/2 tsp dark soy sauce

5cm piece of ginger, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 spring onions, chopped into 5cm pieces

1 red pepper, finely sliced

For the chicken marinade:

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cornflour

1 tsp Shaoxing wine

1/2 tsp light soy sauce

For the Kung Pao suace:

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp Chinese black rice vinegar

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

1/2 tsp chicken or vegetable boullion 

To garnish:

1/2 tsp sesame seeds

Drizzle of sesame oil

As with most recipes done in wok, it easiest if you have all your ingredients prepared before you even turn the hob on.

Get the chicken in a bowl, add all the marinade ingredients and give the chicken a good massage to give ingredients a hand to combine. Set aside for 20 minutes, whilst you prepare the other ingredients. 

In a small bowl, combine the chilli sauce, Hoisin, and dark soy sauce. 

Prep all your veg. 

In another small bowl, combine all the Kung Pao sauce ingredients - giving it a real good stir to help dissolve the sugar. 

Now get cooking. 

Over a high heat, heat the oil in a wok. When it starts smoking, add the chicken. Keep stirring the chicken, to prevent it from sticking to the wok and cook until it's almost cooked through - about 10 minutes should do it. 

Go in with the chilli sauce/Hoisin/dark soy sauce and get the chicken coated. 

Add the veg, giving it a good stir through and cook for a couple of minutes. Keep everything moving, so nothing sticks to the wok. 

Now pour in the Kung Pao sauce and, once again, get everything coated. Continue to cook until the sauce reduces to a syrup consistency. 

Garnish with the sesame seeds and oil, then serve with some rice.