Diced chicken thigh with toasted cashews, whole dried chillies and a sweet-sour-savoury sauce that clings to every piece. Fifteen minutes in the wok once everything is chopped.
Prep
20 mins
Cook
12 mins
Servings
4
Per serving
£1.90
Difficulty
medium
A properly balanced kung pao sauce should hit sour first, then sweet, then salty, with the chillies contributing perfume more than fire. Toasting the nuts separately keeps them crunchy right to the table.
Toss the diced chicken with 1 tablespoon of the tamari and 1 teaspoon of the cornflour. Leave for 15 minutes.
Cook the rice. Meanwhile, toast the cashews in a dry wok over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, shaking often, until golden. Tip onto a plate.
Whisk the remaining tamari with the black rice vinegar, sherry, sugar, remaining 2 teaspoons cornflour and 4 tablespoons of cold water.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok over a high heat. Add the chicken in one layer and leave it for 2 minutes to colour, then stir-fry for 3 minutes until cooked through. Lift out.
Turn the heat to medium, add the last tablespoon of oil and fry the dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns for 30 seconds until the chillies darken a shade and smell toasty.
Keep the heat moderate here - burnt chillies turn the whole dish bitter.
Add the garlic, ginger and spring onions and stir for 30 seconds. Return the chicken, pour in the sauce and toss over a high heat for a minute until thick and glossy.
Fold in the cashews at the very last second and serve immediately with the rice.