Kung Pao Chicken

500g chicken thighs, diced into bite size chunks
1 small onion, finely sliced
1/2 red pepper, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 to 2 bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns, lightly crushed
Handful dried red chillies, soaked in hot water and drained
Handful roasted cashews
Vegetable oil, for stir frying

The Marinade
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Pinch Chinese five spice
1/2 tablespoon cornflour

The Sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon tomato paste
Dash dark soy sauce
50ml chicken stock
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

PREPARATION

Marinate the chicken

1. Place the diced chicken thighs into a bowl.
2. Add light soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and a pinch of five spice.
3. Sprinkle over cornflour and massage thoroughly until the marinade coats each piece evenly. Leave for at least 10 minutes.

Prepare the sauce

1. In a bowl, mix sugar and rice vinegar until dissolved.
2. Add light soy sauce, tomato paste and a dash of dark soy to deepen the colour.
3. Stir in chicken stock and hoisin sauce. The sauce should be lightly sweet, tangy and savoury.

COOKING

Stir fry

1. Heat the wok until smoking hot. Add a drizzle of oil around the edge so it coats the base.
2. Add sliced onion first and stir fry briefly, keeping everything moving.
3. Add red pepper and continue stir frying on high heat. Never lose the sizzle.
4. Push the vegetables to one side of the wok. Add a small drizzle of oil and allow it to heat.
5. Add the marinated chicken in a single layer and press down slightly to encourage a good seal.
6. Bring the vegetables gently over the top of the chicken without stirring too aggressively. Allow it to sear for about 30 seconds before moving.
7. Once the chicken is over halfway cooked and showing light char, add garlic, fresh chillies, soaked dried chillies and crushed Sichuan peppercorns. Toss quickly.
8. Immediately pour in the prepared sauce. The sauce should bubble vigorously and begin to caramelise.
9. Toss everything together over high heat for about 30 seconds until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce becomes glossy and lightly sticky.
10. Add roasted cashews and fold through.
11. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

School of Wok Tips

• Use chicken thighs for better texture and flavour.
• Add spices just before the sauce to avoid burning.
• The sauce should hit a smoking hot wok to caramelise properly.
• Kung Pao should be spicy with a balance of sweet and sour.

FAQs

What makes Kung Pao different from other stir fries?
The use of Sichuan peppercorns and dried chillies gives it a distinctive tingling heat.

Can I make it less spicy?
Reduce the bird’s eye chillies and dried red chillies while keeping the peppercorns for flavour.

Why add tomato paste?
It deepens the colour and helps the sauce caramelise more quickly in the wok.