Kung Pao Chicken

Prep cooking for Szechuan Ma Po Tofu and Kung Pao Chicken

Emboldened by last week's success with Chinese cooking, I decided to try cooking two dishes at once - Szechuan Ma Po Tofu (with some tweaks) and Kung Pao Chicken. I needed Mark's help to stir fry the Kung Pao veggies while everything else was going on in order to not burn anything! Okay, so I'm not exactly a chef yet...

Here is my version of this original Kung Pao Chicken recipe which was submitted by Arlena on AllRecipes.com.

Ingredients:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks

1 whole yellow onion, coarsely chopped.
1 bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 Cup slivered carrots
4 tablespoons white wine

Kung Pao Chicken, Szechuan Ma Po Tofu and Basmati

8 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
4 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 4 tablespoons water
2 ounces hot chili paste
2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
4 teaspoons brown sugar
6 green onions, chopped
3 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, rinsed and drained
8 ounces chopped peanuts

Directions:
To Make Marinade: Combine 2 Tablespoons wine, 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, 2 Tablespoons oil and 2 Tablespoons 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 2 Tablespoons wine, 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, 2 Tablespoons oil, 2 Tablespoons 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.

Heat chicken on high in a large skillet until meat is white, then reduce heat. Meanwhile, heat sesame oil and soy sauce in a wok on high. Stir in bell pepper, onion, and carrots and stir fry until slightly limp. Add green onions and bean sprouts and continue stirring for 2 minutes. Add in the chicken with marinade and sauce, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Goes well with Riesling or beer.

吃个饱 !

...uhhh, hopefully that says "Bon appetit!" in Mandarin. If not, let me know.

--The Daily Fitchett, 2/28/11.

Szechuan Ma Po Tofu

Continuing on with my (almost) daily cooking, I discovered this great tasting, easy-to-make dish based on a recipe originally posted by Linjo on AllRecipes.com.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground turkey
2 T cooking sherry
1 tsp cornstarch or Wondra

1/8 C black beans, mashed
1/2 T chili paste with garlic
1 tsp cayenne pepper
4 T soy sauce
3 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 package tofu (14 oz), drained and cubed
Dash sesame oil
1 C frozen green peas
1/2 C chicken broth
1 T cornstarch or Wondra
1 sprig green onions, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix ground turkey, sherry and Wondra. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, combine mashed black beans, chili paste, cayenne pepper, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger.
3. In a Pyrex cup, combine chicken broth and Wondra.
4. In a large skillet on medium high heat, brown the ground turkey mixture.  Meanwhile, in another large skillet on medium heat, simmer the tofu in 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil.  
5. When the tofu has absorbed most of the soy sauce, pour the tofu in with the turkey, and add in the black bean mixture, peas, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes. 

--The Daily Fitchett