[Recipe] Kung Pao Chicken AND Szechuan Braised Meatballs
Yesterday for the Superbowl, I wanted something out of the ordinary... so I went back to my old favorite, homemade Chinese. I considered homemade dumplings for a while, but in the end passed on that to make something old, and something new.
Kung Pao Chicken
Ingredients
Meat and Marinade:
* 2 - 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs., cut into medallions about 1/8" thick and 1" square
* 4 teaspoons light soy sauce
* 3 tablespoons Shao Xing rice wine or dry sherry
* 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
Sauce:
* 4 teaspoons raw or brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons cornstarch
* 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
* 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
* 6 teaspoons Chinkiang black rice vinegar
* 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
* 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
* 2 tablespoons chicken broth
* 1 tsp. crushed red pepper (Chinese red, ground, or cayenne will do in a pinch)
* 1 - 2 tsp. hot chili sauce (or to taste)
* 6 - 10 dried red Chinese peppers*
Stir-fry Ingredients:
* Peanut oil or canola oil for stir frying (about 2 tablespoons recommended)
* 4 cloves of garlic, diced fine
* 2 teaspoons fresh or ground ginger (not the dry spice)
* 3 - 4 stalks of celery, cut into thin slices
* 3 scallions (green onions), white and green parts, cut into thin slices
* 1 medium jalapeno (slightly larger than your finger), cut into slender diagonal slices
* handful of baby carrots cut into round thin slices
* 2/3 cups dry roasted unsalted peanuts
Method
1. Cut up chicken and mix marinade ingredients. Allow chicken to soak at least 10 - 15 minutes while preparing other portions of recipe.
2. Mix together sauce ingredients well and set aside. (I like to use a small measuring bowl for this, so I can tell how well mixed it is, and so it is easily poured into the wok when the time comes.)
3. Heat oil in the wok on medium heat, and when it is nearly smoking (when a flicked water drop will immediately sizzle), add jalapenos, ginger and garlic to properly flavor the oil. Stir and fry until very fragrant, without allowing it to blacken.
4. Add chicken, and settle into a single layer on the bottom of the wok. Allow to begin browning without stirring - about 30 seconds to one minute. Stir and fry for 1 - 2 minutes. Add celery. Stir and fry until the chicken is nearly done.
5. Add carrots and green onions, and stir-fry until chicken is done. Pour in sauce ingredients, bring to a boil, and cook until it clings to all ingredients. Add peanuts and toss to coat.
Serve over rice immediately. Makes 4 - 5 good-sized servings.
Szechuan Braised Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs:
* 1 pound 93%-lean ground beef
* 1 5- to 6-ounce can water chestnuts, rinsed and finely chopped (I blanked on getting these at the market, and so substituted finely chopped celery instead)
* 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch, divided
* 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder (see Shopping Tip)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
Broth and Vegetables:
* 1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
* 4 teaspoons canola oil, divided (I used peanut oil instead)
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
* 1/4 cup Szechuan sauce (see Shopping Tip)
* 4 cups shredded napa (Chinese) cabbage (I admit I cheated here - although the market had Chinese cabbage, I knew I probably wouldn't use the whole thing before it went bad. So I grabbed one of those pre-made bags of shredded cabbage and lettuce instead.)
* 1 15-ounce can straw mushrooms, rinsed (unable to find straw mushrooms at the local market, I went with a plain old 8-oz. package of sliced mushrooms instead)
* 2 scallions, sliced (optional)
Method
1. Gently mix beef, water chestnuts, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, five-spice powder and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Shape the mixture into 12 - 15 balls (use about 2 tablespoons each to make 1 1/2-inch meatballs). Whisk broth and the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet or nonstick wok over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning once, until brown, about 3 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 15 to 30 seconds. Add the reserved broth mixture, Szechuan sauce, cabbage and mushrooms; cook, stirring, until the cabbage is just wilted, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer, return the meatballs to the pan, cover and cook until the sauce is thickened and the meatballs are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve sprinkled with scallions (if using). Goes well on rice or noodles.
Both were extremely tasty, and went perfectly with the white rice I had steamed up earlier.
Kung pao chicken is an old favorite of mine, something I grew to love back when I lived in California and couldn't find a satisfactory take-out version of on the East Coast -- which was, among other things, what prompted me to start experimenting with cooking my own Chinese food. Too often in the East, what seems to pass for "kung pao chicken" is just diced chicken with peanuts drenched in hot oil -- yuck! My recipe has a great deal more going for it, though it's still spicy enough to raise sweat on your brow.
Szechuan braised meatballs was a new recipe for me, and I didn't quite have an image in mind when I began making it. Regardless, it turned out delicious -- the five-spice powder and Szechuan sauce combined with the beef broth to make a tasty, well-spiced side dish. The only complaint I have about it was that it seems like there aren't enough meatballs! Next time I might up the amount of ground beef to 1.5 lbs., because the broth (and my skillet) are definitely enough to contain another 6 - 8 meatballs.
Originally crossposted from http://kitchenklutz.dreamwidth.org/14360.html. Please comment here if you first read the post here.
Kung Pao Chicken
Ingredients
Meat and Marinade:
* 2 - 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs., cut into medallions about 1/8" thick and 1" square
* 4 teaspoons light soy sauce
* 3 tablespoons Shao Xing rice wine or dry sherry
* 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
Sauce:
* 4 teaspoons raw or brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons cornstarch
* 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
* 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
* 6 teaspoons Chinkiang black rice vinegar
* 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
* 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
* 2 tablespoons chicken broth
* 1 tsp. crushed red pepper (Chinese red, ground, or cayenne will do in a pinch)
* 1 - 2 tsp. hot chili sauce (or to taste)
* 6 - 10 dried red Chinese peppers*
Stir-fry Ingredients:
* Peanut oil or canola oil for stir frying (about 2 tablespoons recommended)
* 4 cloves of garlic, diced fine
* 2 teaspoons fresh or ground ginger (not the dry spice)
* 3 - 4 stalks of celery, cut into thin slices
* 3 scallions (green onions), white and green parts, cut into thin slices
* 1 medium jalapeno (slightly larger than your finger), cut into slender diagonal slices
* handful of baby carrots cut into round thin slices
* 2/3 cups dry roasted unsalted peanuts
Method
1. Cut up chicken and mix marinade ingredients. Allow chicken to soak at least 10 - 15 minutes while preparing other portions of recipe.
2. Mix together sauce ingredients well and set aside. (I like to use a small measuring bowl for this, so I can tell how well mixed it is, and so it is easily poured into the wok when the time comes.)
3. Heat oil in the wok on medium heat, and when it is nearly smoking (when a flicked water drop will immediately sizzle), add jalapenos, ginger and garlic to properly flavor the oil. Stir and fry until very fragrant, without allowing it to blacken.
4. Add chicken, and settle into a single layer on the bottom of the wok. Allow to begin browning without stirring - about 30 seconds to one minute. Stir and fry for 1 - 2 minutes. Add celery. Stir and fry until the chicken is nearly done.
5. Add carrots and green onions, and stir-fry until chicken is done. Pour in sauce ingredients, bring to a boil, and cook until it clings to all ingredients. Add peanuts and toss to coat.
Serve over rice immediately. Makes 4 - 5 good-sized servings.
Szechuan Braised Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs:
* 1 pound 93%-lean ground beef
* 1 5- to 6-ounce can water chestnuts, rinsed and finely chopped (I blanked on getting these at the market, and so substituted finely chopped celery instead)
* 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch, divided
* 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder (see Shopping Tip)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
Broth and Vegetables:
* 1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
* 4 teaspoons canola oil, divided (I used peanut oil instead)
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
* 1/4 cup Szechuan sauce (see Shopping Tip)
* 4 cups shredded napa (Chinese) cabbage (I admit I cheated here - although the market had Chinese cabbage, I knew I probably wouldn't use the whole thing before it went bad. So I grabbed one of those pre-made bags of shredded cabbage and lettuce instead.)
* 1 15-ounce can straw mushrooms, rinsed (unable to find straw mushrooms at the local market, I went with a plain old 8-oz. package of sliced mushrooms instead)
* 2 scallions, sliced (optional)
Method
1. Gently mix beef, water chestnuts, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, five-spice powder and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Shape the mixture into 12 - 15 balls (use about 2 tablespoons each to make 1 1/2-inch meatballs). Whisk broth and the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet or nonstick wok over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning once, until brown, about 3 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 15 to 30 seconds. Add the reserved broth mixture, Szechuan sauce, cabbage and mushrooms; cook, stirring, until the cabbage is just wilted, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer, return the meatballs to the pan, cover and cook until the sauce is thickened and the meatballs are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve sprinkled with scallions (if using). Goes well on rice or noodles.
Both were extremely tasty, and went perfectly with the white rice I had steamed up earlier.
Kung pao chicken is an old favorite of mine, something I grew to love back when I lived in California and couldn't find a satisfactory take-out version of on the East Coast -- which was, among other things, what prompted me to start experimenting with cooking my own Chinese food. Too often in the East, what seems to pass for "kung pao chicken" is just diced chicken with peanuts drenched in hot oil -- yuck! My recipe has a great deal more going for it, though it's still spicy enough to raise sweat on your brow.
Szechuan braised meatballs was a new recipe for me, and I didn't quite have an image in mind when I began making it. Regardless, it turned out delicious -- the five-spice powder and Szechuan sauce combined with the beef broth to make a tasty, well-spiced side dish. The only complaint I have about it was that it seems like there aren't enough meatballs! Next time I might up the amount of ground beef to 1.5 lbs., because the broth (and my skillet) are definitely enough to contain another 6 - 8 meatballs.
Originally crossposted from http://kitchenklutz.dreamwidth.org/14360.html. Please comment here if you first read the post here.