Name: Kung Pao Chicken with Peppers and Oyster Sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients: 600 g chicken breast; 3 cloves garlic; 20 g ginger; 1 pc red bell pepper; 1 pc onion; 4 pcs spring onion; 4 pcs chilli peppers; 60 g peanuts; peanut oil; 4 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon oyster sauce; 2 tablespoons vinegar; 1 tablespoon caster sugar; 80 ml water; 2 teaspoons potato starch; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 1 pinch black pepper; 300 g jasmine rice; water

Step by step process

Preparation

1
Trim the chicken breasts and cut them into bite-sized cubes, about 2-3 cm.
2
Cut the peppers and onion into larger pieces. Finely chop the garlic and ginger. Slice the spring onion on the diagonal and separate it into white and green parts.
3
In a bowl, whisk the soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, sugar, water, potato starch, sesame oil, and ground pepper until smooth.
TIP:
Whisk the eggs, then gradually add the yogurt and oil while whisking thoroughly. If the ingredients don't combine smoothly, slow down the addition or gently warm the eggs.
4
Mix one third of the prepared sauce with the chicken cubes and let it marinate briefly for 10 minutes so the starch coats the meat.
5
Place the jasmine rice in a sieve and rinse it several times under cold water until it runs almost clear, then drain well.

Cooking

6
Pour the rice into a pot, add the measured water, bring to a boil, reduce to the lowest heat, cover, and cook for 12 minutes. Then remove from the heat and let it stand, covered, for another 10 minutes.
7
Heat the wok over high heat, add the peanut oil, and spread the chicken out in a single layer. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until golden, then remove to a plate.
TIP:
First, heat the wok thoroughly and fry the ingredients in smaller batches. Thanks to the high temperature, the meat quickly sears and browns. An overcrowded wok, on the other hand, cools down and starts steaming the food.
8
Add a little more oil to the wok if needed, toss in the dried chilies, and let them sizzle briefly for 20-30 seconds. Add the ginger, garlic, and the white part of the spring onion and stir-fry for about a minute.
TIP:
Briefly toast the dried chili peppers in a dry pan until they begin to smell, then chop them. The released oils will intensify the heat and aroma of the dish.
9
Add the peppers and onion and stir-fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes so the vegetables stay crisp and lightly seared.
10
Return the chicken to the wok, pour in the rest of the sauce, and stir until it thickens and coats everything in a glossy glaze, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the peanuts and half of the green part of the spring onion.

Serving

11
Divide the hot rice among plates, top with a portion of the chicken, sprinkle with the remaining green spring onion, and serve immediately.

More tips:

If you have Sichuan pepper and Chinese black vinegar (Zhenjiang) on hand, you can season the dish authentically: add the pepper to the dried chilies and the vinegar to the sauce in place of regular vinegar.

Toast the peanuts dry briefly for a fuller flavor.

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