KUNG PAO CHICKEN AND EGGPLANT
Bold on flavors, this easy and tasty Chinese-inspired recipe originally uses Szechuan peppercorns but as I didn’t have any and the Asian store is miles away, I used black peppercorns instead. Equally as delicious. As with any stir-fry, have all your ingredients prepped and ready before you start cooking. I chop the eggplant last so it doesn’t have time to brown.
Prep Time25 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time45 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 5
Calories: 361kcal
Author: Lovoni
- 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, chopped about 1 1/2 lbs/680g
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch cornflour
- 3 tablespoons dry sherry or Chinese cooking wine
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, plus 3 tablespoons extra
- 3 tablespoons runny honey
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, plus extra for cooking the chicken
- 1 medium eggplant, cubed
- 2 red bell peppers, deseeded and chopped
- 3 fat garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons finely grated peeled ginger
- 1 tablespoons black peppercorns, crushed – use a spice grinder or mortar and pestle use Szechuan peppercorns if you have them
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper chili flakes
- 8 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped or cashews if you can’t eat peanuts
- Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
In a medium bowl, combine the chopped chicken, cornstarch, sherry and 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce; set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, honey and rice vinegar until well combined; set aside.
In a large wok, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant and stir-fry for 5 minutes until browned and softened. Add the bell pepper and stir-fry for 2 minutes until tender-crisp. Remove eggplant and bell pepper to a plate.
Heat a tablespoon or so of oil in the same wok. Drain the chicken from the marinade and cook in two batches, for 5 to 6 minutes until browned and cooked. Remove chicken to a plate. Heat a little more oil in the wok over medium-high and add the remaining chicken. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until browned and cooked. Add the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant.
Return all the chicken to the wok. Add crushed black peppercorns, crushed red pepper, and the eggplant mixture; stir fry until well combined.
Stir the soy sauce mixture and add to the wok. Stir-fry for 3 to 3 minutes until the sauce is thickened and coating the chicken and vegetables.
Add most of the green onions, I like to keep some for garnish. Stir-fry to combine the green onions. Serve the chicken over steamed rice and sprinkle with peanuts and green onion.
Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 604mg | Potassium: 588mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1833IU | Vitamin C: 64mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg