Kung Pao Chicken with Chow Mein

 I love Chinese food. Whilst there are plenty of Chinese restaurants here in Korea, they are all distinctly different to the brand of food we get in the west. Every now and then I like to cook a western style Chinese meal at home and last night I made two of my favourites - Kung Pao Chicken and Chicken Chow Mein.

 Kung Pao Chicken is a dish originating from Sichuan Province - a place notorious for its spicy food. Whilst my knowledge of the region was limited to having had an old university friend from Chengdu, I have since read Fuchsia Dunlop's excellent "Land of Plenty" in which the British born author teaches not only how to cook Sichuan food but also about the history and culture of the province. The Kung Pao recipe here is very spicy but tastes better than anything I've had back home.

 As for chow mein I like to make my own noodles, ideally you would use a pasta machine but if not you can just cut your dough in to thin, noodle sized strips. Feel free to throw in whatever vegetables you have, anything goes! The sauce given below really makes these noodles especially delicious.

Kung Pao Chicken
(Adapted from a recipe in Fuchsia Dunlop's "Land of Plenty")
Serves 2 as a main or 4 as part of a selection of dishes

Ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts
3 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
1 inch piece of ginger, finely sliced
5 scallions, white parts only, sliced
10 red chilis, dried (add more or less depending on how spicy you'd like it)
1t sichuan pepper, whole (known as Chinese pepper in Korea and is available at the large supermarket chains)
2/3 cup cashew nuts

Marinade:
1/2t salt
2t light soy sauce
1t shaoxing rice wine or medium-dry sherry
2t cornstarch
1T water

Sauce:
3t sugar
1t cornstarch
1t dark soy sauce
1t light soy sauce
1T chinkiang or black chinese vinegar*
1t sesame oil
1T chicken stock

Method

Cut the chicken in to small cubes. Mix all the marinade ingredients together, add the chicken, and leave for 30 minutes.

Mix all the sauce ingredients together and set aside for later.

Add 2T of oil to the wok and when hot add the chilis and sichuan pepper. Stir fry briefly until fragrant, taking care not to burn.

Add the chicken followed by the ginger, garlic and scallions. Stir constantly.

Once the chicken is cooked add the sauce and cashew nuts and cook until the sauce has become thick and shiny. Serve immediately.

Chicken Chow Mein
Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side

Ingredients

300g egg noodles (For homemade use 300g flour and 3 large eggs)
2 chicken breasts cut in to small cubes
Vegetables of your choice
1t garlic, thinly sliced
1t ginger, thinly sliced
4 scallions, white parts only, sliced

Marinade:
1/2t honey
1/2t sesame oil
1T soy sauce
1T oyster sauce
1T rice wine
1t cornflour

Sauce:
1/2t sesame oil
1T soy sauce
1T oyster sauce
1T rice wine
1t cornflour
50ml chicken stock
1/2t white pepper


Method

Mix together all marinade ingredients and add the chicken.

Meanwhile if you are making your own pasta, combine the flour and eggs in a bowl and then mix and knead until you get a dough like consistency.

Wrap in clingfilm and leave for thirty minutes.

Using a pasta machine, roll out to the desired thickness and then cut in to noodles.

Leave noodles to dry. When ready to cook, boil them in salted for water for 2 minutes before adding to the wok.

Mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside next to your stove.

Heat 2T oil in a wok and then add the chicken with its marinade. Stir until the chicken pieces have separated.

Add the garlic, ginger, scallions and vegetables. Stir fry until everything is almost cooked through.

Add the noodles and sauce. Stir fry for a further 2 minutes.

Serve immediately.

*Chinkiang is available at http://www.goldriver.cn