This week: how to make kung pao chicken!
The final dish!
This past weekend we had the pleasure of going to another cooking lesson — this time to learn the art of making (drumroll please) Kung Pao Chicken. We took the class with the same teacher who taught us how to make dumplings, and we had a similarly awesome time in this class. For all you hankering to learn the art of this tasty, spicy dish from the Sichuan province of China, read on…
While for myself (and I’m sure many of you out there) the thick, saucy goodness of many Chinese dishes eluded my culinary repertoire for some time, it is actually quite simple to do. A few tricks of the trade, applicable to many Chinese dishes, that we learned this past weekend:
- The chicken is first marinated in a mixture of wine, soy sauce, and cornstarch. The function of the cornstarch is to add a light coating to the chicken that allows the meat to retain moisture while being cooked, so that your final product is tender and moist.
- The sauce, similarly, contains cornstarch. Here the cornstarch is used to add thickness to the final sauce that is typical in so many Chinese dishes.
- When it comes time to add the sauce to the dish while cooking, add it in a circular motion around the outside of the meat in your wok. This will ensure the sauce cooks on the side of the pan and is able to thicken. Then toss with the rest of the chicken.
Here is the detailed recipe for how to make your own Kung Pao chicken — click on the image for a larger version. Also scroll below for more mouth-watering photos from class. Try the recipe yourself and let us know how yours turns out!
Dried chili peppers
The ingredients (from bottom right, clockwise): sichuan peppers, dried chilis, green onion, ginger, garlic
Marinade for the chicken: rice wine, light soy sauce, and corn starch
Heat the oil in a wok and add the sichuan peppers when oil starts smoking
After the sichuan peppers have been removed, cook peppers until brown (like so)
Add chicken to the peppers once browned
Adding the sauce; be sure to add in a circular motion around the edge of the meat so the sauce cooks
My final dish! So proud. And hungry.
Check back soon for more food posts with additional Chinese recipes!
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