Deli Rice Bowl #3 : Kung Po Chicken 宫保鸡丁

I think I am on a spice hiatus recently. I have been cooking dishes that are mostly hot and spicy ! And here comes another one, the Kung Po Chicken. In fact I was craving for some Kung Po frog legs but I can’t imagine myself cooking frog legs at home so I decided to replace them with some chicken instead. I think I am just too generous with the dried chilis. Cannot imagine that dried ones can be that spicy too ! Luckily I had only 2 chili padi that goes along thereafter, otherwise I think my lips will be swollen the next day !!

But heng it’s only 辣, with some rice and water, it’s still manageable. Not to the extent of “麻辣“yet, so if you think this is no kick for you, feel free to add some Sichuan peppercorns with the dried chili. OMG, I cannot visualize the sweat and flames to eat this at home, unless I had my air con on full blast whilst dining. Hahahaha !!

I think the dishes that I prepared recently are really the zhi chay or mixed vegetable rice stalls kinds of food till the extent people has been asking whether I am gonna set up a hawker stall now. Hahaha !! Well, somehow I think Chinese food are more for my liking and you can beef up many different kinds of delicious dishes even with the same foods. They are definitely more versatile in cooking methods and varieties.

Kung Po chicken makes good choices for lunchbox meals because boneless chicken is used and being diced into small pieces, they are convenient to enjoy for lunch at work when you do not want anything that are too messy or difficult to begin with. Just top it up with some stir fried vegetables and your lunchbox is all good to go.

I had some baby kailan vegetables that were stir fried with shitake mushrooms on minced garlic and oyster sauce. And packing it neatly in the lunchbox fuels my appetite too ! It’s not only for photography purposes ok !! Hahahaha.

Oh yes, coming back to the deli rice bowl series which I have started previously, whether it’s a bowl or lunchbox, other than the presentation style that differs, the fact that the food itself that made good and simple fuss-free meals is more important, isn’t it ?

Enjoy ! And the following picture does looks abit like Kung Po frog legs right ?? Hehehe.

Gong Bao Chicken (Kung Po Chicken)

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

• 300 g boneless chicken leg diced
• 5 stalks of spring onion sectioned
• 2 pcs of chili padi
• 10 pcs of ginger sliced
• 30-35 pcs of dried chillies
• some cooking oil

For the Chicken Marinade

• 1 tbsp light soya sauce
• 1 tbsp shaoxing huatiao wine
• 1/2 tsp pepper

For the Seasonings (mix well)

• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 3 tbsp sweet rice vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp light soya sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soya sauce
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 4 tbsp water

For the Thickening

• 1 tsp corn flour
• 2 tbsp water

For Garnishing (optional)

• 1 stalk of spring onion chopped

Instructions

 

• Marinade the chicken for 30 minutes or more.
• Heat up some oil in a wok and add the ginger slices, chilli padis, dried chillies and stir fry until fragrant. Stir in the chicken and stir fried till almost cooked.
• Add in the seasonings and combine well. Bring the gravy to a boil and add in the thickening solution. Continue to stir until the gravy is slightly thickened.
• Add in the sectioned spring onion and give it a few quick stirs to mix well.
• Remove from flame, garnish with spring onion if using and serve.