Receta Gong Bao Chicken with Peanuts

by Monte Mathews

I like cooking Chinese food at

home. And I had an overwhelming desire

to do so after my stay in Milano last month.

My Italian ‘sister’, Sofia has a real problem with gluten. This, unfortunately, removes a great deal of Italian

food from her diet. So when I wanted to take Sofia and her husband, Mario, out

to dinner she chose a local Chinese restaurant in the Art Deco district of

Milan where she lives. This was not

necessarily a good sign since I had not see one Asian face in the neighborhood

until we arrived at the family-run restaurant.

Sofia is so off gluten, she actually brings her own sauté pan fearing

that some hint of flour may be left in the restaurant’s pans. And how was the food? Quite possibly the worst Chinese food I have

ever tasted. And you have to go a long

way to ruin Chinese food—especially its stir-fries, which aside from chopping

and prepping, are among the easiest things on earth to cook. And today’s Gong Bao Chicken with Peanuts,

wildly popular in this country, is no exception. You can be forgiven if the

name is unfamiliar to you. That’s

because in America, it’s more often called Kung Pao chicken. And interestingly,

it’s not terribly popular in China.

Ding Baozhen

Gong Bao Chicken is full-on

spicy, hailing as it does from Sichuan Province, home of China’s spiciest

cuisine. You can find the dish in other

parts of China, generally far less spicy than the original. But you’ll be

missing out on this chili-pepper flavored recipe that combines chicken, ginger,

garlic, green onions and peanuts and then kicks the spice content up with

Sichuan peppercorns. The dish is

relatively new in Chinese cooking: It’s believed to have been named for a man

named Ding Baozhen who was the Governor of Sichuan Province in the late 1800s. His title,

Gongbao or Kung-Pao, means Palace Guardian in Chinese. So how did the dish lose favor? During the

Cultural Revolution of Chairman Mao, the dishes name became political poison

because of its association with Mr. Ding.

The dish was renamed Hongbao

Jiding, which translates most unfortunately to “Fast-fried Chicken

Cubes”. It was also called Hula Jiding which is only slightly

better. It means “Chicken cubes with seared chiles”. Mercifully the dish was rehabilitated during

Deng Xiaoping’s reforms in the 1980s and called by its original name. Still, it remains unpopular in China. This is

said to be because it uses the breast meat of chicken which is perceived to be

tough. Apparently when the Chinese taste

American versions of the dish, they are startled at how tender the chicken is.

"Every Grain of Rice" and its author.

The version I am sharing today came from the

New York Times’ Julia Moskin. She nicked it from a British journalist, Fuschia

• Dunlop, an authority on Chinese cuisine whose cookbook is called “Every Grain
• of Rice” (Norton 2012). It’s close the
• classic recipe and only veers away from it once. Like the original, the cooking vessel (I’d
• say Wok, but you don’t need one, any non-stick skillet will do) is seasoned
• with oil, then the chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns are added to the
• oil. The chicken is stir-fried, the
• green onions, garlic and ginger are added. A simple sauce is poured over the
• dish and then roasted peanuts are tossed
• into the finished dish. In China, the
• nuts may be either peanuts or cashews. Here’s where the original recipe differs: The peanuts or cashew nuts are
• dropped into the hot oil on the bottom of the wok first, then deep fried until
• golden brown before the other ingredients are added. There are plenty of restaurant variations to
• this dish; sometimes orange or orange juice is added. You can also find versions that don’t use
• chicken at all. Beef, Pork, Tofu or Seafood are pressed into service
• instead. But the biggest difference
• between Western versions and the Chinese original is Sichuan Peppercorns. From
• 1968 to 2005, they were illegal to import into this country. The ban was
• lifted, but very few restaurant versions incorporate the peppercorns, which add
• immeasurably to the flavor of the dish. I served this on butter lettuce, which
• we used as wraps. But a bowl of steamed
• or fried rice would be most appropriate. Here is the recipe:
• Recipe for Gong
• Bao Chicken with Peanuts from Fuschia Dunlop’s “Every Grain of Rice”
• For
• the Stir Fry:
• 2
• boneless chicken breasts (11 to 12 ounces total),
• with or without skin
• 3
• garlic cloves
• An
• equivalent amount of ginger
• 5
• spring onions, white parts only
• A
• handful of dried chiles (about 10)
• 2
• tablespoons cooking oil
• 1
• teaspoon whole Sichuan pepper
• 3
• ounces (75 grams) roasted peanuts (see note)
• For
• the Marinade:
• teaspoon salt
• 2
• teaspoons light soy sauce
• 1
• teaspoon Shaoxing wine (or use dry sherry or dry
• vermouth)
• 1
• ½ teaspoons
• potato starch or cornstarch
• For the Sauce:
• 1
• tablespoon sugar
• teaspoon potato starch or cornstarch
• 1
• teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1
• teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1
• tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar (or use balsamic
• vinegar)
• 1
• teaspoon sesame oil
• 1
• tablespoon chicken stock or water
• 1. Cut chicken as evenly
• as possible into half-inch strips, then cut strips into small cubes. Place in a
• small bowl. Add marinade ingredients and 1 tablespoon water to bowl. Mix well

and set aside.

2. Peel and thinly slice

garlic and ginger. Chop spring onions into chunks as long as their diameter (to

match the chicken cubes). Snip chiles in half or into sections, discarding

their seeds.

In a small bowl,

combine the sauce ingredients.

3. Heat a seasoned wok

or non-stick pan over a high flame. Add oil, chiles and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry briefly

until chiles are darkening but not burned. (Remove wok or pan from heat if necessary

to prevent overheating.)

4. Quickly add chicken

and stir-fry over a high flame, stirring constantly. As soon as chicken cubes

have separated, add ginger, garlic and spring onions and continue to stir-fry

until they are fragrant and meat is just cooked through (test one of the larger

pieces to make sure).

5. Give sauce a stir and

add to wok, continuing to stir and toss. As soon as the sauce has become thick

and shiny, add the peanuts, stir them in and serve.

NOTE: Store-bought roasted peanuts work well

here, but if you want to roast your own peanuts, heat oven to 250 degrees.

Place raw nuts on an oven tray and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until fragrant

and very slightly golden. (Keep an eye on them, as they are easily burned.)

Cool nuts on a plate, then rub nuts between your fingertips to loosen their

skins. Shake nuts as you blow over them; skins will blow away.