Kung Pao Chicken

Pow! Right in the kisser. This week we try our hand at a Chinese American classic: Kung Pao chicken. This Szechuan dish is a restaurant staple that involves stir fried chicken, peanuts, dried chilies, and scallions. 

Recipe here and our take below.

Dan's Version and Comments

This dish was mediocre at best. Not to be overly critical, however, I felt it was lacking substantially in flavor. In my opinion, what may have been better would have been to coat the chicken in the cornstarch and rice vinegar and fry. 

A technique that I found interesting was allowing the chilis to cook briefly in the oil. I may use this technique in the future to create flavor infused oils. Can you imagine putting that over a bed of angel hair pasta? 

A tip, although not ideal: if you are having trouble finding these red chilis, as I was, use paprika and cayenne to taste. Add chili flakes for additional heat. 

Mo's Version and Comments

This was tasty, but missing that 'je ne sais quoi' flavor we've come to love from Kung Pao found in Chinese restaurants. Definitely have to go back to the drawing board on this one.

Tips and things to try:
-Don't buy GIANT dried peppers like Dan (did you see those up there!?)
-A wok would be ideal, as you can quickly sear the ingredients
-Lightly breaded chicken may hold flavor better
-Thinly slice the white part of the scallion,
-Add more dried peppers if you like it spicy
-Cut your ingredients into smaller pieces, which is more traditional
-Peppers or celery are also traditional and would go well here

Next week: South African Lamb Stew.