Gong Pao Ji Ding (Kung Pao Chicken)

Gong Bao Ji Ding (Kung Pao Chicken)
With few exceptions, in American Chinese restaurants, Gong Bao Ji Ding is rife with ingredients not usually found in the mainland versions: water chestnuts, green peppers, broccoli, baby corn and a multitude of “fillers” which lower the restaurants’ food cost and dilute the traditional dish.  In Sichuan, the de-facto home of this dish, the presentation generally contains only chicken breast meat, peanuts, chilies, chili sauce and other seasonings.  As always, the name and origin of the dish is obscured by time and folklore.  Most commentators agree that it is named after a Qing dynasty Sichuan governor,  whose title was Gong Bao.  The Ji Ding translates as “chicken cut into small cubes.” Even with the changes it has gone through coming to the states, the popularity of Kung Pao Chicken is a testament to the simple genius of the dish.  Gong Bao Ji Ding is just as well known in China.  No Sichuan restaurant on the mainland would be complete without it.
You will find that in this version of Gong Bao Ji Ding the main flavoring ingredients are somewhat large, sliced pieces; this not only visually mimics the shape of the cubed chicken, but produces potent bursts of flavor which characterizes this fiery dish.

11-12 oz boned and skinned, cubed approx. 5/8”
4 – 8 dried chilis, cut into 1” sections
1” x 1” pc ginger, peeled and thinly sliced—cut slices in quarters
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
3 or 4 green onions, white portion cut into 1” lengths; garnish with greens
3 oz. Peanuts
1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorn (Hua Jiao)

Sauce:

2 – 3 tsp red chili sauce
1 rounded TAB of sugar, palm sugar or honey
1 Tab soy
Tab Shao Xing or rice wine
1 – 2 tsp Chinkiang vinegar
1/4 cup stock
Cornstarch slurry
Sesame oil

Marinate the chicken cubes in wine, soy, sugar and cornstarch.  Section the chilis, retaining the seeds if you prefer the full effects of the spice.  Peel and slice the ginger and garlic; section the green onion and diagonally slice the greens to use as a garnish.
I prefer to wok roast raw peanuts, as they develop a more robust peanut flavor and crunchy texture.  To do this, put raw peanuts (with or without skins) into a medium hot wok and add a dash of peanut oil.  Toss the peanuts constantly as they will burn in only a few seconds if left unturned.  Increase the heat as needed to brown the nuts, but they must reach a sufficient internal temperature to drive out their moisture, so do not roast them too quickly.  It should take 15 or 20 minutes to do this.  Obviously, you can use pre-roasted peanuts and save the time.  In any case, be sure to add the peanuts to the dish at the last minute, to preserve their texture. Thehua jiao should be tossed for a minute in a med hot wok to refresh it; crush the peppercorns with the flat of the cleaver, and set aside for garnish.
Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.  Red chili sauce is available in a dizzying variety of forms and brands at Asian groceries; the popular Thai chili sauce, Sriracha, works well and is available even in standard grocery stores.  The amount can vary, according to your taste; however,  red chili sauce is usually acidic and should be balanced with at least equal parts sugar, making Gong Bao Ji Ding a traditionally sweet and sour dish.
On high heat, using 4 or 5 tablespoons of peanut oil, stir-fry the chicken cubes until they are browned and cooked through.  Remove with bamboo handled strainer or slotted spoon and set aside. Add more oil if necessary and stir-fry the chilies for a few seconds until they darken, then add ginger, garlic and onions.  When these have just begun to brown, stir sauce ingredients and add to the wok, then thicken with slurry as soon as it boils.  Add back the chicken; off the heat, quickly stir in the peanuts, plate the Gong Bao Ji Ding, garnish with a drizzle of sesame oil, green onion shreds and hua jiao.

Gan Bian Zhu Rou Si (Dry Fried Pork Shreds)

Gan Bian Zhu Rou Si (Dry Fried Pork Shreds)
This dish is in the popular tradition of “dry frying” (gan bian), which really means presented with very little liquid sauce. This makes for an intensely flavored and visually rich dish, since the flavorings become reduced through evaporation and cling to the stir-fry

ingredients. But perhaps the main appeal of dry-frying is textural. The meat is sauteed until dry, a thing usually avoided in Western cooking. This method provides a nice contrast with steamed and poached dishes. I have suggested sweet red peppers for this, whereas in Sichuan, where this dish is from, fresh chili peppers are used and the effect is extremely intense--possibly too intense for most Westerners.

11 –12 oz pork shoulder, boneless rib, or loin, sliced into shreds, 1/8” x 2” x 1/8” 
1 or 2 fresh red chilis, seeded and slivered
4 spring onion, white portion 2” segments, and quartered lengthwise, green portion shredded 2” long for garnish.
1 or 2 large sweet red peppers, shred same as pork
3 Chinese dried mushrooms, soaked in hot water, squeezed, marinated in soy, sugar, wine.
3 large garlic cloves, sliced
1”by 1 “ pc ginger, sliced thin

Sauce:

2 Tab soy
2 tsp Sugar
2 Tab Shao Xing Wine or dry sherry
2 tsp Rice wine vinegar

Marinate pork in a splash of soy sauce, dry sherry, and cornstarch.  On medium high heat, stir-fry the meat in about 4 Tab peanut oil for several minutes--as much as 6 to 10 minutes, depending on the cut size of the meat--until well-browned; remove with slotted spoon or strainer and set aside. Add more oil if necessary, and stir-fry the ginger, light sections of green onion (reserve dark green sections) and slivered chilis until 1 or 2 minutes, then add the sweet red pepper, garlic slices and stir-fry until all ingredients are browned; toss in mushroom and dark green onion segments. Add sauce and stir-fry all ingredients until it no longer puddles in the bottom of the wok.

Platter and garnish with sesame oil and carrot slivers.

Pock Marked Old Lady Beancurd (Ma Po Dou Fu)

Pock Marked Old Lady Beancurd (Ma Po Dou Fu)

The genesis of Ma Po Dou fu (Pock-marked Old Lady Bean Curd) is well established, if not true: the story goes that the dish was invented by the wife of master chef living in the Qing dynasty—Chen Shen Fu—whose face was scarred by smallpox. True or not, it is one of the famous Sichuan dishes--even Cantonese restaurants list it in their menus.


Hua Jiao (lit: flower pepper), perhaps the most interesting ingredient used in Chinese cuisine, is an essential ingredient in this dish; known in English as Sichuan Peppercorn, and by it’s nickname “tongue numbing spice," hua jiao is not spicy hot like western black pepper, but rather aromatic, slightly astringent, and does indeed temporarily numb the tongue—it’s an acquired taste for many neophytes. In Sichuan, the seasoning is heaped upon Ma po dou fu and certain firey soups, in addition to being used as a dry rub and ingredient in dipping salt. Once one gets used to hua jiao, it is impossible to imagine the dish without it.

3 oz pork or beef minced and marinated in soy, wine, sugar and cornstarch
14 oz firm bean curd (dou fu), rinsed, drained and cut into 1/2” cubes

3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1” x 2” pc fresh ginger, minced
3-4 green onions, minced
2 tsp Chili paste mixed with 2 tsp sugar

Sauce:

6 fluid oz of chicken stock
3-4 Tab soy sauce
1 Tab dark soy
1 tsp Chingkiang vinegar
1 Tab Shao Xing wine
Cornstarch slurry  (See "Thickening Sauces" on Technique Page)

Garnish:

Chopped cilantro with stems, or slivered green onion tops.
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, dry-roasted lightly to freshen, and ground
1 Tab sesame oil

Heat wok to medium high; add 3 – 4 Tab peanut oil, coat pan, then toss in the garlic, ginger and minced onion and stir-fry for 20 seconds; add minced pork or beef and stir-fry until slightly browned. Add chili bean paste/sugar mixture and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add sauce ingredients, and when it boils, add dou fu cubes. Return to a boil, simmer for one minute. Add cornstarch or potato starch slurry and gently fold over the wok contents until sauce thickens—Note: the moisture in the dou fu will thin the sauce as the dish cools, so make sauce somewhat more viscous than usual.

Served the Ma Po Dou Fu in a shallow bowl or plate with sides to prevent spilling. Garnish with ground hua jiao, sesame oil, and cilantro or onion.