Simple Recipe for Kung Pao Chicken

The materials you need for this simplified version of Kun Pao chicken include: diced chicken, peanuts, vegetable oil, salt, prickly ashes, dried red peppers, white sugar, table vinegar, soy sauce, salep or flour. These are enough for this dish, and certainly you add something else you like such as garlic slice, bruised ginger and even champignon, but I believe the simpler the better. As about how much of each material to be used, you can read this article of mine on simplified cooking ideas: How Easy is Cooking.

Now we start the preparation process, which includes only two parts: a. We need the sauce that makes the dish spicy. Put salt, white sugar, table vinegar, soy sauce and salep or flour in one bowl and mix them thoroughly; b. Fry peanuts. Heat oil and peanuts together in frying pan and stir the peanuts from time to time until either you smell the fragrance of fried peanuts or the color of peanuts turns deeper. Turn off fire and get peanuts out of oil with a strainer. Let the peanuts cold down and keep the oil for cooking.

With all preparation being done, the cooking part is much easier. Heat the oil in the pan again and put in prickly ashes and dried red peppers. Fry them for a while and put in the diced chicken. Stir up the materials until the meat sticky and turns into the color of cooked meat. Now it's time to pour in prepared sauce. Continue stirring and mix the materials evenly. At this point you may need a little water the prevent scorching, but not too much. Add the water spoon by spoon until you think it is fine. Usually I add no more than three spoons. Keep stirring for a bout two minutes, and it is time to add the other most important parts of this dish: fried peanuts. Stir for another minute to mix everything properly, and it's done.

That is all about cooking Kung Pao chicken at home. I love this dish very much myself and cook it often. As a personal suggestion, uncooked lettuce is the best thing to eat with this dish. Wrap up a spoon of chicken meat and fried peanuts with a lettuce leaf, that is not only delicious but also funny!