Smaller, thinner Sichuanese varieties may also be used. In Sichuan, or when preparing Sichuan-style Kung Pao chicken, usually Sichuan-style chili peppers such as facing heaven pepper or seven stars pepper ( Chinese: 七星椒 pinyin: qīxīngjiāo) are used. The wok is seasoned and then chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns are flash-fried to add fragrance to the oil. Shaoxing wine is used to enhance flavor in the marinade. In this original version, diced chicken is typically mixed with a prepared marinade. The original Sichuan version uses chicken as its primary ingredient. The dish was renamed "spicy chicken" ( Chinese: 糊辣鸡丁 pinyin: húlà jīdīng) by Maoists until its political rehabilitation in the 1980s under Deng Xiaoping's reforms. The name Kung Pao chicken is derived from this title, while the use of the character 丁 dīng in the name of the dish is a pun on his surname Dīng, a Moderately common Chinese surname that can also be read to mean "small cube" (like the cubes the chicken is diced into for the dish).ĭuring the Cultural Revolution, the dish's name became politically incorrect because of its association with the imperial system. His title was Taizi Shaobao, which is one of Gongbao ( Chinese: 宫保 pinyin: Gōngbǎo Wade–Giles: Kung 1-pao 3 lit. The dish is believed to be named after Ding Baozhen (1820–1886), a late Qing Dynasty official and governor of Sichuan Province. The Anhui version of Kung Pao chicken, served in an iron pot Western Kung Pao chicken is also a staple of Westernized Chinese cuisine. Although the dish is found throughout China, there are regional variations that are typically less spicy than the Sichuan serving. The classic dish in Sichuan cuisine originated in the Sichuan province of south-western China and includes Sichuan peppercorns. Chinese take out is so hit or miss and sometimes the good ones are two states away.Kung Pao chicken ( Chinese: 宫保鸡丁 pinyin: Gōngbǎo jīdīng Wade–Giles: Kung¹-pao³ Chi¹-ting¹), also transcribed Gong Bao or Kung Po, is a spicy, stir-fried Chinese dish made with cubes of chicken, peanuts, vegetables (traditionally Welsh onion only ), and chili peppers. Finally I gave up and went back to my standard fare which has always been sweet and sour shrimp. There was some kind of magic in that first place I tried it. Seriously, I must have ordered kung pao chicken at 25 different places and it always ranged from disappointing to disgusting. But I was just visiting the area and when I went home to Massachusetts I could never find a restaurant that made kung pao chicken as tasty as that first place I'd had it. It was from a little Chinese take out place in Long Island. The first time I ever tried kung pao chicken it was incredible. If you combine the sauce with some high quality chicken and vegetables you will have an easy and delicious meal that might rival the kung pao chicken you had that first time. This has rendered at least a few of my Chinese dinners inedible.īut Chinese cooking is easier than you would expect and you can buy pre-made kung pao sauce at the grocery store in the ethnic foods aisle. The vegetables and sauces are not the highest quality either but I think the cheapness really comes out in the meat. My biggest problem with a lot of Chinese take out places is that they use very low quality meat. But I would suggest to you that you should try making it yourself. I've eaten a lot of bad kung pao chicken myself. the flavor is spicy but dynamic and it elevates the dish to a whole new level.įebruary 1, - I know what you mean.
It is like a little bit of heaven mixed with a little bit of hell. Anyone that had not tried kung pao chicken with the real Szechuan peppercorns owes it to themselves to give it a try.
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