KUNG PAO CHICKEN

      This is a dish which was bought into our home by my daughter.  She always frets that I never allow her to cook, i.e cook all on her own from the scratch without any help or advice. My daughter tried this recipe for the first time with Mushrooms.  She had prepared Singapore Mee and Kung Pao Mushrooms as a side dish, all on her own.  She doesn't like Peanuts and so she used Cashews instead of Peanuts in the recipe.  For a first timer, I should say it was really good.
     I said we will try this out with Chicken and since then I should say that I have made this dish quite a number of times at home. Simple and quick fix recipes are always a hit with me.  Small cubes of boneless chicken pieces are seared to perfection in hot oil, which develops an intense flavour and also gives a crunchy texture to the chicken pieces.
     The best reason for this dish to be popular is that it has a perfect balance of flavours - it is equally sweet and tangy and all the more slightly underlined with a note of spiciness.  To get the right taste is to come up with the right combination, to suit your taste preference.

Cuisine : Chinese, Southeast Asian
Course : Side Dish
Spice Level : Low - Medium
Difficulty : Easy
Serves : 2-3
Author : SM

Preparation Time : 15 - 30 Minutes
Marination Time : 20 - 30 Minutes
Cooking Time : 10 - 15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS :

For the Marinade :

Boneless Chicken - 250 Gms
Salt - To Taste
Oil - 1 Tspn
Shaoxing Wine - 1 Tspn
White Pepper - A Pinch
Cornstarch - 1 Tspn

For The Sauce :

Light Soy Sauce - 1 Tbspn
Dark Soy Sauce - 1 Tspn
Rice Wine Vinegar - 1 Tbspn
Sugar - 1 Tspn
Cornstarch - 1 Tspn
Water - 3 Tbspn

To Roast Cashewnuts/Peanuts :

Cashew nuts/Peanuts - 1/2 Cup
Oil - 3 Tspn

To Saute :

Garlic - 4 Cloves
Garlic - 1" Piece
Dry Red Chillies - 3-4 Nos.
Bird's Eye Chillies - 2 Nos.(Optional)
Oil - 2 Tbspn

To Garnish :

Spring Onion - Few

METHOD :

• Clean, Wash and Cut Chicken into small pieces.
• Marinate the Chicken pieces with the ingredients mentioned under 'To Marinate'.
• Leave this aside for about 20-30 Minutes.
• Mix all the ingredients mentioned under ' For the Sauce' and keep it aside. Make sure there are no lumps,
• Heat 3 Tspns of Oil in a wok and Shallow fry the Cashew nuts/Peanuts until they turn golden brown in colour.
• Remove them from oil and drain them on a Paper towel.
• In the same wok add 2 Tbspns of Oil, Sear the marinated chicken in hot oil for few minutes until the colour changes.
• Remove it from oil and keep it aside.
• In the remaining Oil, saute finely chopped Garlic, Ginger and Bird's Eye Chillies along with Dry Red Chillies until they turn aromatic.
• Add the seared Chicken to the above and stir-fry on high flame for a minute or two.
• Stir the Sauce Mix thoroughly before pouring it over the Chicken.
• Stir-fry until the sauce mix is well combined with the Chicken Pieces on high flame for few minutes.
• Finally, add shallow fried Cashew nuts/Peanuts and give a quick stir.
• Garnish with Spring Onions.
• Serve hot with any dish of your choice.
• Goes well with Fried Rice, Noodles or just pair it up with fragrant Jasmine Rice/White Rice.

NOTES :

• Can also prepare the same recipe with Mushrooms, Chicken Wings etc.,
• Adjust the spice level to your taste preference.

A Quick Tip :

SEARING A CHICKEN:

     Searing a Chicken/Meat is a simple cooking technique where the meat is tossed in hot oil(a little amount just to coat the pan) until the colour changes or for some recipes Brown/caramelize them.  This method changes the chemical composition in the meat and create an intense flavour and develop a perfect texture.  The main point is that they are not deep fried.

To sear a Chicken/Meat :

• Clean, wash and cut the Chicken/Meat into pieces.
• Pat dry with a paper towel.
• Heat a pan in high flame, add oil into the pan and spread it, so that the pan is well coated with oil.
• Toss in the Chicken/Meat pieces to the pan.
• If the oil is hot you can hear a sizzling sound.
• Allow the meat pieces for 2-3 minutes, then toss it up so that the other side of the pieces are also well seared. 
• Let the pieces turn into slight brown colour.
• If you are searing big pieces, adjust the timing accordingly.
• Searing the meat/chicken pieces yields crispy and flavourful meat.