how to cook good food

recipes for food lovers

  • Home
  • About
    • About – How to cook good food
    • Privacy policy
    • Copyright- How to cook good food
    • My RSS
    • Blogroll
  • Archive
    • Recipe archive – How to cook good food
    • Snacks and starters
      • Breads
      • Soups
    • Main dishes
      • Fish dishes
      • Meat dishes
      • Seafood
      • Vegetable dishes
      • Vegetarian dishes
    • Puddings
      • Ice Cream
      • Desserts
      • Tea time treats
  • Supper Club
    • In The Press
    • Allergies & Dietary Requirements
    • The Gin Kitchen Supper Club
  • Learn to cook
    • Sourdough Demos
    • Pop Up Bake Clubs
    • Kids Cookery Lessons in Surrey and Pop Up Bake Clubs
    • Adult Cookery Lessons in Surrey with Laura Scott
  • Testimonials
  • Contact Me
You are here: Home / Meat dishes / Chicken and Rice – with a kick

Chicken and Rice – with a kick

July 13, 2011 by Laura Scott 2 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

The inspiration behind this truly tongue tingling, spicy chicken dish is the cook and food writer Fuchsia Dunlop. She specialises in writing about the food of China and has written books on the subject as well as writng articles for newspapers and magazines. I came across a recipe of hers on her blog, www.fuchsiadunlop.com which I have been dying to try out for a while now and last night I did, well sort of.

chicken and rice

As Mr.Scott was out last night I thought I would treat myself to a Chinese meal, but one that I cook for myself. I  am , to put it bluntly, not the biggest take-away fan. And, I am a quick cook so it’s DIY for me all the way!

The recipe which appealed to me  is called “Gong Bao chicken with peanuts”, also known as “Kung Pao chicken”. Now, I am not claiming to have made this exact dish but simply my interperation of it based on which of the ingredients I happened to have in the store cupboard. Apologies to Fuchsia Dunlop if she thinks I have completely ruined her dish!

Firstly, what I did not have were peanuts.  Secondly, no potato flour, Lastly,  no Chinkiang vinegar.

I decided to skip the nuts, add cornflour and replace Chinese vinegar with balsamic. I added some chestnut mushrooms, which I love too.

What I absolutely adore though, and what I did happen to have were the tiny dried bird’s eye chillies and the Szechuan pepper. If you haven’t had the pleasure in tasting a dish with this particular pepper berry, then please do so! It is like nothing else. The flavour makes your mouth tingle but it is also highly aromatic and combines brilliantly with the heat of the dried chillies. Have I sold it to you, or are you going to stop reading right now?!

My worry about posting this recipe is that you may not like the sound of the heat and tingle sensation. So, to reassure you, I do believe the dish would taste pretty good without the Szechuan pepper and the dried chilli. It would just be a milder, less dazzling affair. Go on, live a little and give it a try……….!!!

chicken and rice
Print

Chicken and rice - with a kick

Course Main Course, Meat
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword chicken and rice
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 2
Author Laura Scott

Ingredients

For the marinade:

  • 2 tsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp Chinese rice wine
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • 1 tbsp water

For the sauce:

  • 3 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • 1 tsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 tsp light soy sauce
  • 3 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp water

To assemble the dish:

  • 2 chicken breasts, skinless cut into cubes
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 inch ginger peeled and grated
  • 5 spring onions sliced
  • 8 chestnut mushrooms quartered
  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
  • 8 dried bird's eye chillies crushed

Instructions

  1. For the chicken marinade:

  2. Make the marinade and place the chicken into into it for anything from 15 minutes to 4 hours - as much time as you have

  3. Next, prepare the sauce and set aside

  4. Grind the chillies and Szechuan pepper in a pestle and mortar
  5. Prepare the mushrooms and spring onions
  6. Heat the oil in a wok until smoking then add in the garlic and ginger and let it colour slightly before adding in the  spring onions, mushrooms, chicken and marinade, chilli and pepper mix
  7. Cook on a high heat until the chicken turns opaque ( 3 mins approx ), then add the sauce and continue to cook for another couple of minutes. It won't take more than 5 minutes to cook from start to finish

  8. Serve with steamed rice and some sliced cucumber

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share via:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Main dishes, Meat dishes, Speedy Suppers Tagged With: balsamic vinegar, chestnut mushrooms, Chicken, Chinese rice wine, cornflour, cucumber, dark soy sauce, dried red chillies, garlic, ginger, light soy sauce, Rice, sesame oil, spring onions, sugar., sunflower oil, szechuan pepper

« Summer salad of fresh peas, pancettta and avocado with a Caesar style dressing
Breakfast in Bread »

Comments

  1. Working London mummy says

    July 13, 2011 at 12:55 pm

    This sounds lovely. I do love Kung pao chicken! Firecracker stuff though!

    Reply
    • laura says

      July 13, 2011 at 1:03 pm

      Firecracker it is indeed!

      Reply

Feel free to leave me a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Laura Scott, food blogger.

I'm Laura. Private chef, supper club host and cookery tutor.

I love cooking. Always have. My site represents my life in food. With pictures. Food for me is all about interesting flavour combinations and the influence of the growing season.

Cooking is all about sharing and enjoying food. It makes life good.

Connect With Me

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Search my site

Subscribe to How to Cook

Recommended by Muddy Stilettos Little Black Book of Best Businesses
Local Food Britain Approved Member

Follow me on Instagram

Instagram post 2194246098604141549_41976172 The best venue to host a winter supper. Beautifully restored calf shed at @theginkitchen where @atableoutside and I hosted the last collaborative supperclub of the year. Look out for more dates in 2020!  #epsomsupperclub #atableoutside #theginkitchen #supperclub #popup #dorking #surreyhills #artisangin #localproducers #supportlocal #gincocktails #seasonalfood #popupdining
Instagram post 2192912078926601373_41976172 Busy day ahead after last night’s supperclub. Cooking for tomorrow’s supper @theginkitchen fuelled by carbs and cheese #sourdough #sourdoughfocaccia #realbread #feedfeed #thebakefeed #eeeeats #supperclub #wildyeast #naturallyfermented #surreychef #surreyfood #cheflife
Instagram post 2191479413144816691_41976172 Christmas Bramley and mincemeat crumble tart to be served at tomorrow’s first December supperclub along with the most delicious home made gingerbread ice cream and a mini pot of orange jelly 🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊. #epsomsupperclub #popup #supperclub #epsom #surreychef #eeeeats #cheflife #christmasdesserts #feedfeed #thebakefeed #instabake
Instagram post 2190797574260484979_41976172 Surplus supperclub celeriac roasted with onions in olive oil and PX sherry. Makes a good winter veg dish - might top them with walnuts and parsley later.
#epsomsupperclub #celeriac #vegetarianrecipes #eeeeats #veganrecipes #supperclub #popup #epsom #surreychef #pxsherry #cheflife #chefsofinstagram
Instagram post 2189871456510777299_41976172 Last couple of tickets for our festive supper and gin cocktail event @theginkitchen. Tickets available via @atableoutside #supperclub #theginkitchen #atableoutside #epsomsupperclub #surreyhills #gincocktails #artisangin #dorking #surreyfood #localproducers
Instagram post 2183540613362156643_41976172 This month custard tart is on the menu so I’ve been trying to perfect neat slices and just set custard - so satisfying!  #custardtart #feedfeed #thebakefeed #eeeeats #epsomsupperclub #popup #supperclub #epsom #surreychef #cheflife #pastrylife #dessertsofinstagram
Instagram post 2180524084605469329_41976172 This month’s supperclub ice cream has been a big hit so far. Cherry crumble ice cream served with custard tart & roasted winter fruits.  #epsomsupperclub #popup #surreychef #feedfeed #thebakefeed #eeeeats #epsom #surreyfood #localfood #cherrycrumble #homemadeicecream #madeinsurrey
Instagram post 2179832247104234781_41976172 NEW February sourdough demo dates for 2020. Looks like January is almost full so if you’re looking for a foodie gift this Xmas I have gift vouchers available. £50 per person for demo & lunch and a taste of my new sweet sourdough focaccia!  #epsom #surreysourdough #cookerydemo #surreyhills #surreychef #sourdoughbread #naturallyleavened #wildyeast #realbread #learntobake #giftvoucher #foodiegifts
Instagram post 2178478329707339340_41976172 Second attempt of my sweet sourdough focaccia today. Better crumb and lighter bake so in the right track.... #sweetsourdough #focaccia #feedfeed #thebakefeed #eeeeats #sourdough #wildyeast #naturallyleavened #realbread #recipetesting #cheflife #epsom #supperclub #surreyfood
Instagram post 2177907080518001873_41976172 These are the butter fried cabbage wedges with Szechuan salt I serve with the honey & soy glazed twice cooked pork belly at this month’s supperclub.  #epsomsupperclub #popup #surrey #epsom #supperclub #eeeeeats #feedfeed #foodandwine #buzzfeedfood #cheflife #surreyfood
Instagram post 2176210487603552476_41976172 Chocolate overload birthday cake for a chocolate mad 12 year old #chocolatecake #feedfeed #thebakefeed #eeeeeats #birthdaycake #chocolateoverload #instabake #onlycheapchocolatewilldo
Instagram post 2174721217499946884_41976172 NEW sourdough demo date for January 2020. A perfect gift for someone who loves to bake. The demo is followed by lunch including a selection of locally sourced British cheese, a seasonal soup and loads of sourdough bread. You will also take home a starter and notes so you can practice at home. DM me to book. 6 spaces available.  #sourdoughdemo #epsom #surreysourdough #learntocook #howtocookgoodfood #surreyfood #localfood #surreyhills #realbread
Load More…
Foodies100 Index of UK Food Blogs
Foodies100

As Seen In…

  • The Guardian
  • SurreyMummy
  • Mindful Mum
  • Marie Claire
  • Dotcomgiftshop

Subscribe to How to Cook

Copyright

All site content (words, images & recipes) are the property of Laura Scott and How to Cook Good Food. All rights reserved.

Please ask permission before republishing my content.

Copyright © 2019 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.