Kung Pao Chicken: Sichuan Spicy Peanut Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken: Sichuan Spicy Peanut Chicken

Kung pao is one of the world's most famous Chinese dishes: chicken with roasted peanuts, dried chilli and a piquant sauce. It comes from Sichuan cuisine and has conquered the world.

History of the dish

Kung pao is named after official Ding Baozhen, governor of Sichuan province in the 19th century. The dish was prepared for his banquets. After the 1949 revolution it was banned as 'feudal', but returned in the 1980s.

Key ingredients

Chicken breast (diced, marinated in soy sauce and starch), dried whole chillies, Sichuan peppercorns, roasted peanuts, garlic, ginger, spring onion. Sauce: soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, cornflour.

How to cook at home

Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in oil first — they create the numbing sensation (mala). Then the dried chillies. Stir-fry the chicken fast over maximum heat. Add the sauce at the end, together with the peanuts.