What attracted me most in this place is the variety of food. Singapore is a small multi cultural country. There are different nationalities so it means collaboration of dishes too. They say food here is mostly spicy and chili is a part of their food intake. But in my case I welcome all types of food except exotic food of course. My Thai colleague then introduced me to their dishes. What happened to me was that my tongue got accustomed to spicy foods and later on its nothing to me. Goodness..spicy food are so good.
Here is one recipe that I fancy a lot. When we dine out, I always see this on the menu..Kung Pao Chicken. One time I ordered this in a hawker stall and I didn't enjoy it actually, it tasted like sweet and sour. Like I told you before, Im not a fan of it. I find Sweet and Sour dish disturbing for my palate. If I eat this and its kinda sour or more sweet, then my taste bud is ruined. I never like sweet and sour.
But Kung Pao Chicken is a different story in my own adaptation. It has the balance taste of a little sour, a little sweet with some soy sauce and cashew nuts. The first time I made it was a hit with my children. The combination of the ingredients are powerful specially the dried red chill but surprisingly it was not spicy. it is really really good.
Let me share a little of what is Kung Pao Chicken from Wikipedia of course:
Kung Pao chicken (Chinese: 宫保鸡丁), also transcribed as Gong Bao or Kung Po, is a spicy, stir-fried Chinese dish made with chicken, peanuts, vegetables, and chili peppers. The classic dish in Sichuan cuisine originated in the Sichuan Province of south-western China and includes Sichuan peppercorns. Although the dish is found throughout China, there are regional variations that are typically less spicy than the Sichuan serving. Kung Pao chicken is also a staple of westernized Chinese cuisine.
Now for the Ingredients:
1 kg boneless chicken sliced into cubes
1 cup cashew nuts
6-8 dried red chilies, seeded and cut into halves
3 tablespoons oil
1 grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp grated garlic
3 stalk scallion, cut into ring
Now for the marinade:
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp light soy sauce + 1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine or mirin
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tbsp oil
Now for the sauce:
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soya sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
I tbsp corn starch
Direction:
Cut the chicken meat into small cubes, rinse in water, pat dry with paper towels and marinate with the ingredients above for 30 minutes.
Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat up a wok with one tablespoon of oil and stir-fry the marinated chicken until they are 70% cook. Dish out and set aside.
Clean the wok and add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until it’s fully heated.
Add in the ginger and garlic slices and do a quick stir before adding in the dried red chilies.
Stir fry the dried red chilies until aromatic and smell spicy, then add in the chicken meat.
Do a few quick stirs before adding in the cashew nuts.
Add the sauce and stir continuously until the chicken meat is nicely coated with the sauce.
Add in the scallions, stir to combine well with the chicken, dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Its a Hopeful Wednesday and I cooked my daughter's favorite,a chicken dish with dried red chilies and cashew..Hmmmnnn..this is so nice and when I cant think of anything to cook,I always turn to this one magical dish for all time.Keep on hoping for the best! (Kung Pao Chicken)
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