(Jean’s Post)
A colleague of mine at the biological station is undergoing chemotherapy. A group of us decided to take turns cooking for her provide a little help and relief as she undergoes this trial in her life. One dish I made was kung pao chicken from the magazine Cooking Light with a few minor adjustments, no peanuts, white meat, fresh ginger, more veggies and more garlic.
It turned out pretty good. I also made a vegetarian version for my roommate substituting cubed extra firm silken tofu for chicken. It was tossed in last few minutes of cooking.
Ingredients:
2-3 tablespoons of dark sesame oil
1 cup chopped onion (I used white)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into 1 by 1.5 inch pieces
¾ cup of water
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 teaspoons cornstarch (compared to 2, I like a thicker sauce)
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
1 ½ cup sliced green bell pepper
1 ½ cup snow peas, trimmed
Directions:
- Heat sesame oil in a large wok over medium-high heat.
- Add onion to wok and sauté till the onions soften.
- Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add chicken and sauté till chicken browns.
- In a bowl, combine water, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, ginger and crushed red pepper and stir with a whisk till the sugar dissolves.
- Add the mixture to the wok and bring to a boil.
- Stir in green bell pepper and snow peas, cook for 2 minutes or until veggies are crisp-tender and sauce thickens.
- Serve over rice.
It was easy and spicy! Tofu version was spicier than chicken version.