Gong Bao Chicken

This is a very famous dish in all Chinese kitchens. It is said that this dish has a history stretching back hundreds of years. Gong Bao actually is a rank of official long time ago. This official created the dish, his guests had it during his family dinner party and enjoyed it so much, everyone started to cook it and it spread until today it is one of the most popular and well known dishes in Chinese restaurants. I tried lots of Chinese take away Gong Bao chicken, to be honest they are not authentic tasting. This is my own family recipe, the secret is the sauce!!!.

Ingredients

400g chicken thigh fillets

50g salted roasted peanuts

4 spring onions chopped

2 slice fresh ginger peeled

3 cloves garlic sliced into half

1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

2 tablespoons Chinese black rice vinegar (can buy a v nice one from Waitrose)

1 tablespoon sugar

3 teaspoons Cornflour

50ml Water

1 teaspoon salt

3 dry red chili, cut to half deseeded

1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper

Half egg white

2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine

3 tablespoons peanut oil

Method

This dish is better cooked in a wok using gas, because you need to use high heat to cook it quickly. A wok can evenly cook all the chicken and keep it succulent.

Cut the chicken into 1.5cm x1.5cm cube and place into a bowl. Add half egg white, 1 tablespoon shaoxing rice wine, 1 teaspoon cornflour into the bowl. Finely stir mixed with chicken cubes and leave to marinate.

Now we start to prepare the secret gong bao sauce. In a bowl, Fully mix the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, the other tablespoon of shaoxing wine, 2 teaspoons cornflour, water and salt. (You always can add more or less according to your own taste)

Preheat the wok and add 3 tablespoons peanut oil. Add 1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper, sliced ginger and garlic, chopped spring onion, dry red chili into the oil, stir-fry about 30 seconds until they release their flavor. Add the chicken cubes and keep stir frying until the chicken changes colour and is fully cooked. Add the peanuts, then add the gong bao sauce into the wok and turn to the highest heat, quickly stir-frying it to ensure the sauce covers all the ingredients. Turn off the gas immediately when the sauce becomes thick. Place into a plate ready to serve.

You can use prawn instead of chicken, it works just as well. I bought the jumbo king prawns from Tesco. Defrost the prawns fully and run a sharp knife down the back of the prawns and remove the little black vein. This will make the prawn look nicer and taste better. Marinate and cook the prawns same as the chicken. Then you can enjoy the delicious gong bao prawns!!!