Southwestern Kung Pao Food

KUNG PAO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Begin by mixing the sauce ingredients together: Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, sherry, sriracha, cornstarch slurry, rice wine vinegar and garlic in a bowl.
• Heat the peanut oil over high heat in a large skillet. Drop in the chiles and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds to release the heat. Add the chicken and fry until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet. Add the celery and red pepper and cook for 1 minute, then return the chicken to the skillet. Pour in the sauce mixture and cook until the sauce has thickened, a couple of minutes. Add the peanuts and toss together.
• Serve over noodles and garnish with sliced green onions.

COPYCAT KUNG PAO SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Drain, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons canola oil and toss. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the mirin and 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, chili sauce, sambal, vinegar, sesame oil, 2 teaspoons of the cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce.
• Fill a large, heavy-bottomed skillet halfway with canola oil and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Toss the chicken with the remaining 1/2 cup cornstarch until coated completely. Add the chicken to the hot oil in batches and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 1 minute per side. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate; cook the remaining chicken.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the oil and return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the peanuts and cook until toasted to a dark brown, about 1 minute. Add the scallions, chiles and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth mixture to the skillet and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the skillet with the pasta and heat, tossing, until the pasta and chicken are fully coated and hot. Serve warm.

KUNG PAO CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• Whisk together the sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil in a medium bowl.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallion whites and jalapeños and cook, stirring, until the jalapeños are soft and the seeds start to turn golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ginger and cook, stirring, until soft, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the chili sauce mixture. Bring a boil and let cook until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
• Fill a large heavy-bottom pot, fitted with a deep fry thermometer, with 2-inches of oil and heat the oil to 350 degrees F over medium-high heat. Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet.
• Whisk together the eggs, cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water in a medium bowl. Fold in the cauliflower until well coated in the batter. Add one-third of the cauliflower to the oil with a slotted spoon and fry, stirring as needed and adjusting the heat to maintain temperature, until golden, crispy and tender on the inside, about 6 minutes. Remove the cauliflower with the slotted spoon and transfer to the rack. Sprinkle with salt. Fry the remaining cauliflower, in 2 more batches, making sure the temperature of the oil comes back to 350 degrees F between each batch.
• Add the fried cauliflower, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper to the sauce and gently toss to coat well. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with cilantro, peanuts and the reserved scallion greens.

KUNG PAO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Marinade: In a non-reactive bowl, prepare the marinade. Combine the rice wine, peanut oil, soy sauce, salt and cornstarch. Stir in the chicken pieces and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Sauce: In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
• Over high heat, in a wok, bring the peanut oil to almost smoking temperature. Stir-fry the chilies, ginger, garlic and white part of the green onions for 30 to 40 seconds, or until the chilies turn dark. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until golden in color.
• Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the peanuts. Thicken with the slurry and continue to cook until glossy. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with julienne green onions.

SOUTHWESTERN KUNG PAO

Steps:

• Dice chicken breast into small bite-sized chunks.
• Divide into two Ziploc bags or bowls for marinating.
• Dice the pork into similar size pieces, divide, and add to containers with chicken.
• To one container of chicken and pork add: 1 teaspoon hot chili sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce.
• Coat the chicken and pork pieces and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
• In the other container of chicken and pork, add 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 minced cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of cilantro, and diced jalapeno, if desired.
• Coat the chicken and pork pieces and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
• In a small or medium pan, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water.
• Stir in 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, peanuts, 1 teaspoon of chili paste, 1 teaspoon balsamic of vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
• Heat slowly.
• Heat 1 T sesame oil in a wok or large sauté pan on high heat.
• Add chicken and pork from both containers and cook until meat is cooked.
• Add diced red bell pepper, cook until tender.
• Add diced banana, black beans, corn, and 1 tablespoon of cilantro.
• Add cornstarch mixture.
• Stir in thoroughly.
• Serve mixture on tortillas.

KUNG PAO BEEF

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Add the cornstarch and mix well. Set aside. In another smaller bowl, stir together the ketchup, rice wine, soy sauce, vinegar and chili sauce. Set aside. In a small pan over medium heat, toast the Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and crush 1/2 tablespoon of the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle, or in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. Set aside. Leave the remaining peppercorns whole. Heat a wok over high heat and, when wok starts to smoke, add the peanut oil. Add the remaining whole Sichuan peppercorns, dried chiles and fresh chiles and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add the beef and stir-fry until the beef is brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the reserved sauce and peanuts and cook until the sauce has reduced slightly and is sticky and has a thicker consistency. Add the cilantro and scallions and toss to coat and warm through. Then transfer to a serving plate and garnish with the ground Sichuan peppercorns. Serve immediately.

SHEET PAN KUNG PAO BEEF WITH ROASTED GARLIC BROCCOLINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large measuring cup, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients until well combined.
• In a large bowl, combine the beef, sauce, bell peppers, dried chilies and scallions. Allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.
• Pour out the beef and veggie mixture onto one side of the baking sheet.
• Place the broccolini on the other side and drizzle with oil and season with garlic, salt, pepper and pepper flakes.
• Roast for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and then give the beef a stir. Sprinkle with peanuts and return to oven for another 15 minutes. Garnish with scallions and serve.

KUNG PAO CHICKEN

Steps:

• To Make Marinade: Combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture and mix together. Place chicken pieces in a glass dish or bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat. Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
• To Make Sauce: In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture, chili paste, vinegar and sugar. Mix together and add green onion, garlic, water chestnuts and peanuts. In a medium skillet, heat sauce slowly until aromatic.
• Meanwhile, remove chicken from marinade and saute in a large skillet until meat is white and juices run clear. When sauce is aromatic, add sauteed chicken to it and let simmer together until sauce thickens.