I can't believe that a
laser chicken recipie has survived the
M-Noders and
one
Everything Quest for recipes. I borrowed this from a rec.food.recipes archive site, you know
the ones that think that they have
copyright over public domain newsgroup postings.
losers. I have given credit to the original author.
Kung Pao Chicken
14 Dec 1998
From: Paul Michaelson
Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes
Subject: Kung Pao Chicken
Date: 14 Dec 1998 06:35:50 -0700
Gong Bao Ji Ding
AKA: Kung Pao Chicken
This is a very authentic version of the popular dish served in so many
American restaurants. Restaurants almost never make correctly.
This dish was created to honor a Chinese official who was named
"Gong Bao" hence the name. "Ji Ding" means chopped chicken.
"Ji" = chicken
"Ding" = chopped into bite size pieces.
So the dish is Gong Bao's chopped chicken.
Warning: Extremely hot!!!
If this dish is prepared properly it is one of the hottest Sechuan
dishes! Be careful and try it with a few less chilies the first time.
Please heed the warnings about cooking the chilies.
Main:
1 or 2 chicken breasts.
(dark meat may be used but breast meat is best)
4 to 15 Chinese hot chilies.
3 to 5 scallions (spring onions)
1 garlic clove finely copped
1/4 cup roasted cashews
1 to 2 Tbsp Fresh ginger shredded or very finely chopped.
Note: The large quantity of ginger is important here as it
should the most prominent flavor of the dish. About ginger:
Keep fresh ginger in the freezer and "slice" very fine slices
with a cleaver WHILE STILL FROZEN. This produces very fine
shreds of ginger that can be chopped finer with the cleaver.
Freezing fresh ginger makes it last for months and keeps it
tasting as fresh as when you bought it. Look for firm SHINY
skinned ginger that has lots of little buds and looks good
and gnarly. Fresh ginger has a fruity almost citrus quality
and that is what you want to convey into the dish.
Marinade:
2 Tbsp corn starch
1 to 2 tsp. light soy
1 to 2 tsp. rice wine
1 small egg white
This should make a fairly dry marinade. This is important
for the coating to come out right.
Sauce:
2 Tbsp medium soy sauce
1 to 2 Tbsp sugar
1 to 2 tsp. corn starch
1 to 2 Tbsp rice wine. (not sherry!) Use Shao Shin, or better Lau Chew
1/2 to 1 tsp. rice vinegar (light)
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
Make sauce:
Mix the sauce until all dry ingredients are dissolved.
Set aside for final step.
To cook:
Chop (ding!) the chicken and mix with the marinade.
Set aside in refrigerator. Allow at least 30 minutes to marinate.
Chop the scallions into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces. Heat the wok then add some oil.
Turn the heat up all the way and wait for the oil to get very hot. Toss in the
chilies. Here you will char the chilies until they turn BLACK! This flavors the
oil with the main feature of this dish, the wonderful aroma of charred chilies!
The oil will flavor the whole dish. WARNING! WARNING! W A R N I N G !!!! OPEN
WINDOWS ARE AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY! Charring the chilies done correctly will
produce smoke that is very irritating to the lungs! Please be careful! This is
the reason that NO Chinese restaurant in the USA makes "REAL" Kung Pao Chicken!
'Nuf said, you have been warned!!!! After the chilies have turned black and you
can breath again turn up the heat all the way and toss in the chicken and the
ginger. Stir fry for a few seconds then toss in the garlic. Stir fry a few more
seconds, then toss in the cashews and the onions. Stir fry until the chicken has
turned white and everything is well coated with the oil. Then toss in all at
once the sauce mixture. Stir to coat the chicken, nuts, onions, etc. with the
sauce and allow it to thicken up into a nice glaze coating. You have to practice
this but when you get it right you should have no sauce running off of the food.
It should just be a nice hot, sweet, shinny coating. Serve immediately with
steamed rice.
Author: Paul Michaelson Questions via email welcome.
!!! G O O D L U C K !!!
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