Kung Pao Chicken

Makes: 4 servings

Cost per serving (Heidelberg): €1,63 (excludes rice)

Calories per serving: 386

Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons rice wine
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1½ teaspoons cornstarch

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine
• 1 teaspoon sugar

The rest:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 8 small dried hot chili peppers, halved and de-seeded
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 scallions, cut into 1"/~2cm pieces
• 4 bunches baby bok choy, stalks cut into 1"/~2cm pieces
• 4 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
• ½ cup cashews

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and combine with marinade ingredients, adding the cornstarch last.  Marinate 25 minutes.

Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Fry the chicken in 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high/high heat.  After it is almost done, remove it from the pan and set aside.  Add 2 more tablespoons oil.  Fry garlic until aromatic, then add chilis and peppercorns.  Fry briefly (until chilis have a redder color).  Add sauce, then chicken, peanuts, onions, and bok choy, in that order.  Stir together and remove from heat.

Eat with rice.

Fried Rice

Adapted from multiple recipes.

2-3 Tblsp. sesame oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan)
1/2-1 Tblsp Szechuan peppercorns
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic
1 chicken breast cut into thin slices
2 eggs
2-3 green onions cut into pieces (depending on the size)
1/4 cup frozen vegetable mix (according to taste; optional)
2 servings cooked rice (preferably prepared >1 hour beforehand)
soy sauce
rice wine

Heat the oil in a deep pan over medium/medium-low heat. Add peppercorns and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant. Crush garlic into into hot oil and add chicken. Cook chicken just until cooked through, and push to the side of the pan. Crack eggs into the cleared space. Cook briefly then scramble and cook until just cooked through (somewhat soft still but not liquidy). Cut the egg into slices using the spatula, sprinkle green onions over the top, add the frozen vegetables and cook until thawed. Add rice and break up clumps. Stir in soy sauce and rice wine to taste (I add probably 1 Tblsp. rice wine and enough soy sauce to turn rice a nice brown color).

Makes: 2 servings