My Tamed Kung Pao Chicken Version

Time flies so fast it often whizzes by unnoticed. Was it not just yesterday when I welcomed spring with my new header image and anticipated the BBQ season with my honey-glazed porkchops recipe? Wow! I need to change the spring logo NOW as summer with all its cruel heat has definitely arrived! And my! In approximately two months, I’ll be 38! Shudder. Shudder.

Ok, here is the truth. I can still live with the few grays that are starting to peek through my dark strands. I can still convince myself that the trading of my youth for a face lined with memories and experience is a good barter. I can still accept the crude relationship of time and gravity and all the things that have hanged because of this. I can still adapt to the times when I rummage my purse for my keys and they are, the whole while, in my hands. What actually bothers me about this aging business is the fact that instead of me aging like wine, I am aging and can’t tolerate things like wine. I have developed GERD! Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease! Alright, I shouldn’t blame this on age. I do smoke heavily which, of course, is a major contributing factor. Couple the smoking with my inability to face the reality that the size 6 shorts of two summers ago can no longer comfortably accommodate my wider, heftier girth, and the contents of my stomach have no choice but to travel back up to my esophagus! Doctor, doctor, please don’t ask me to give up my addiction and delusion. I promise I’ll do diet modification…

The spicy kick of this kung pao chicken version was tamed to meet my dietary restrictions yet maintains enough breathtaking fire and sufficient mingling of tender chicken morsels and crunchy vegetables to please discerning appetites for this popular export from the Szechwan region. And if you want to discover and know more of the East, visit Mochachocolata-Rita where Rita is having a Chinese-Take-out Party!

Makes 4 Servings

2 (4 oz each) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup sliced water chestnuts
1 medium-size zucchini, halved and sliced to pieces
1 thumb size ginger, peeled and minced
5 to 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
6 to 7 pieces hot chili peppers
1 tbsp dry sherry
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
2 to 3 tbsps vegetable oil
flavoring sauce

In a bowl, combine dry sherry, cornstarch, salt and pepper.
Toss in chicken pieces and stir to coat. Add sesame oil. Allow to marinate for 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare flavoring sauce and set aside. Heat 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil in a wide frying pan or wok, over medium heat.

Add hot chili peppers and stir peppers until they begin to char. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add in water chestnuts and zucchini. Saute until zucchini is slightly tender but crisp.
Remove from pan and set aside.

Add to pan the remaining vegetable oil and increase heat to high. Add garlic and ginger, stirring once. Add in and stir fry chicken pieces until opaque in color. Add in hot chili peppers, zucchini and water chestnuts.

Stir flavoring sauce and add to pan. Cook until sauce bubbles and thickens.

Flavoring Sauce Recipe

1 tbsp white cooking wine
2 tbsp dry sherry
3 tbsps soy sauce
2 tbsps hoisin sauce
4 tbsps chicken broth or water
3 tbsps brown sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsps cornstarch

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir just before pouring into pan.

TIPS:
1) Roasted peanuts, cubed bell peppers, and green onions are also good additions or replacements for the zucchini and chestnuts.

 

Chicken and Poultry Recipes in The CookMobile Archive:

Chicken Soup with Pandan Leaves

 

 

 

Chicken Noodle Soup