Many people wonder why their home-cooked dishes don't taste as good as the ones in restaurants. In fact, besides ingredients and seasonings, the heat of the wok and the order in which ingredients and seasonings are added also have a significant impact on the quality of the dish.
Kung Pao Chicken is a household name, but few can master it. Here are the tips for making this delicious dish.
Ingredients: 250g chicken breast, 4 green and red peppers each, 50g fried peanuts, 10g scallion, 5g ginger, 5g minced garlic, 15 Sichuan peppercorns, 6 dried chili peppers.
Seasonings: 1 teaspoon (5g) salt, 1/2 teaspoon (3g) cooking wine, 2 teaspoons (10g) cornstarch, 2 tablespoons (30ml) rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon (15ml) soy sauce, 2 teaspoons (10g) sugar, 2 tablespoons (30ml) water, 2 tablespoons (30ml) starch water, 1 tablespoon (15ml) sesame oil.
Instructions: 1. Cut the chicken breast into 1cm cubes. Mix with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, cooking wine, and cornstarch. Marinate for 5 minutes. Chop the scallion into slightly smaller pieces than the chicken cubes. Mince the garlic and ginger. Dice the green and red peppers. 2. Place the garlic, scallion, and ginger in a bowl. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, water, and starch water to make a sauce. Set aside. 3. Heat the wok, add oil, and a little sesame oil. When the oil is cold, add the Sichuan peppercorns. Once fragrant and slightly darkened, add the dried chili peppers until fragrant. 4. Add the chicken cubes and stir-fry until they change color. Add the green and red pepper dice and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Pour in the prepared sauce, stir-fry over high heat for 1 minute, then add the fried peanuts and serve.
Friendly Reminder: This dish requires high heat and quick cooking, so the sauce should be prepared in advance. Otherwise, adding ingredients one by one will extend the cooking time, and the chicken will become tough.
The key to making Kung Pao Chicken is to master the "4689 method": add the green and red peppers when the chicken is 40% cooked, pour in the sauce at 60% cooked, remove from the wok at 80% cooked, and it will reach 90% done on the plate, with the remaining 10% of the cooking completed by the residual heat.