Southwestern Kung Pao Recipes

KUNG PAO CHICKEN

Steps:

• To Make Marinade: Combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture and mix together. Place chicken pieces in a glass dish or bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat. Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
• To Make Sauce: In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture, chili paste, vinegar and sugar. Mix together and add green onion, garlic, water chestnuts and peanuts. In a medium skillet, heat sauce slowly until aromatic.
• Meanwhile, remove chicken from marinade and saute in a large skillet until meat is white and juices run clear. When sauce is aromatic, add sauteed chicken to it and let simmer together until sauce thickens.

KUNG PAO CHICKEN RECIPE - CHINESE RESTAURANT QUALITY

Steps:

• Heat a teaspoon of oil in a wok over medium heat and add a cup of raw shelled peanuts. Stir constantly (or they'll burn) for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir for another minute using the residual heat in the wok. Set aside to cool. They will turn crunchy once they're cooled completely. You can also skip this step and use already roasted shelled peanuts.
• Marinate the chicken. Mix together the chicken with all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and set aside for 20 minutes.
• Prepare the sauce. Mix together all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over high heat. Sear the chicken, remove from the wok to a bowl, and set aside.
• Turn the heat to low and add another tablespoon oil. Add the garlic, ginger, chilies, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and scallions. Cook for a minute or two until fragrant.
• Add the chicken back to the pan and turn up the heat to high. Stir-fry for a minute and then use your finger to stir up your prepared sauce (the cornstarch will have settled to the bottom, so make sure it's well incorporated). Add the sauce to the wok and stir-fry for another minute. The sauce should thicken very quickly.
• Finally, add the peanuts. Give everything a final stir and serve.

SOUTHWESTERN KUNG PAO

Steps:

• Dice chicken breast into small bite-sized chunks.
• Divide into two Ziploc bags or bowls for marinating.
• Dice the pork into similar size pieces, divide, and add to containers with chicken.
• To one container of chicken and pork add: 1 teaspoon hot chili sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce.
• Coat the chicken and pork pieces and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
• In the other container of chicken and pork, add 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 minced cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of cilantro, and diced jalapeno, if desired.
• Coat the chicken and pork pieces and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
• In a small or medium pan, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water.
• Stir in 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, peanuts, 1 teaspoon of chili paste, 1 teaspoon balsamic of vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
• Heat slowly.
• Heat 1 T sesame oil in a wok or large sauté pan on high heat.
• Add chicken and pork from both containers and cook until meat is cooked.
• Add diced red bell pepper, cook until tender.
• Add diced banana, black beans, corn, and 1 tablespoon of cilantro.
• Add cornstarch mixture.
• Stir in thoroughly.
• Serve mixture on tortillas.

KUNG PAO

Steps:

• Sauté garlic, ginger and chili sauce in oil till aroma releases.
• Add soy sauce, vinegar and sugar. Boil one minute.
• Add cornstarch mix. Stir till thickened.
• Cool, bottle and store in fridge.

VEGETABLE KUNG PAO WITH BROCCOLI AND PEANUTS

Steps:

• Wrap the tofu slabs in paper towels and place a heavy weight, such as a skillet, on top; let stand for 30 minutes to press out the excess water.
• Cut the tofu into slices 1/2-inch thick and 2 1/2-inches long and place them in a bowl.
• Cut away the broccoli florets and separate into bite-size pieces; cut the stalks on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces.
• Heat a large pot of water to boiling, add the broccoli and boil for 3 minutes; drain, refresh under cold water and drain again.
• Heat a heavy skillet and add 2 1/2 T of the oil Arrange some of the tofu slices in the pan and sear over high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown Remove with a spatula and drain in a colander Reheat the pan and add 2 more T of oil Continue frying the rest of the slices, removing and draining as they are cooked.
• Reheat the skillet, or a wok, add the remaining T of oil, heat until hot, and add the seasonings, stir-fry briefly, about 15 seconds, then add the scallion greens and water chestnuts, and stir-fry over high heat about 1 1/2- minutes.
• Add the premixed sauce and cook, stirring continuously to prevent lumps, until it thickens.
• Add the broccoli, fried tofu and peanuts.
• Toss lightly to coat and heat through.
• Serve with steamed rice.

PORTABELLA KUNG PAO

Steps:

• Whisk all ingredients for the sauce together except the cornstarch.
• Whisk in cornstarch until dissolved.
• Set aside.
• Prepare vegetables.
• Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat.
• Add ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes.
• Stir fry 20-30 seconds.
• Add mushrooms and asparagus and stir fry 1 minute.
• Add water, cover, and steam 2 minutes.
• Uncover and stir in sauce mixture.
• Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute or until thickened.
• Add tomatoes and scallions.
• Garnish each serving with cashews.
• Serve immediately with sesame noodles.