Kung Po Chicken

Ingredients:
Chicken 500g, cubed
15 dried chilli (originally recipe called for 30!!)
2 garlic clove, sliced
10 slices ginger
2 stalks spring onions, cut into 1 inch lengths
1 tsp sichuan pepper corns
1/2 cup toasted cashews
optional:
1 red capsicum, sliced
1 green capsicum, sliced

Marinade:
Season the chicken with 2 tsp light soya sauce, 2 tsp cornflour, 1 egg white.
Stir well and marinate for at least 20 mins.

Gravy:

3 tbsp Chinese cooking wine 

3 tbsp sugar 

2 tbsp black vinegar 

2 tbsp water 

1 1/2 tbsp light soya sauce
1 1/2 tbsp black soya sauce

1/2 tbsp sesame oil 

1/2 tbsp cornflour 

stir well to combine

Method:
Heat pan and add 2 tbsp oil. When it's hot, add chillies and fry til they are black and smoking. (warning: the smoke will make you cough and choke!!)
Toss in garlic, ginger and peppercorns and fry for 1-2 mins.
Add chicken and fry til 90% cooked.
Add capsicum and gravy and stir fry til chicken is cooked (when you can cut through the meat quite easily).
Add spring onion and nuts and stir through.
Serve with rice.

comments: this is the definitative dish to cure any pangs of homesickness...for me at least! Love love it!!!! Essential ingredients: sichuan peppercorns, dried chillies, spring onions and cashews. Without any of these, the dish seems incomplete...perhaps it's just cos that's the way my uncles cooked it...my mom's three brothers all had their own zi char stalls..strange that i never thought of asking my uncles for any cooking tips...til now! hmmmm...