Gang Bao Chicken

This recipe for Gang Bao Chicken was posted on Everybody Loves Ramen. Now I really love a stir fry but  I must confess they are not my strong point. But this one looked soooo good I just had to try. Fortunately the fantastic Shaun told me I needed a wok, and that I needed to season it (isn't twitter a wonderful thing!).

My new 'seasoned' wok

Otherwise words of advice were to be organised, so organised I was.

Check out my new knife thanks to TheIntolerantChef :)

The chicken is marinated in a mix of oyster sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil.

Then the cashews are toasted. I attempted to do this in my wok and it took about 2 seconds so watch them!

The chillies are soaked and then dried. Prepare garlic (I actually used fresh garlic - you can pick up amazing bunches of fresh garlic at the markets), spring onions and onion. Measure out the Szechuan pepper. Mix up the sauce of raw sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine. Prepare a little cornstarch with warm water. And finally coat your marinated chicken in a little flour.

Then go go go. Add oil to the hot wok, throw in your pepper and chillies briefly. Remove the chillies and add the garlic. After a few seconds add the chicken separating out the pieces with some tongs. Once the chicken starts looking crispy add the sauce allowing it to deglaze the pan. Throw in your onions and chillies. Finally thicken the sauce with a little of the cornstarch and then add the cashews.

I was so happy, it was delicious. The chicken was melt in your mouth moist and tender. The sauce was so so tasty. I am so pleased, my first ever truly successful stir fry. I love my wok :)