Kung Pao Chicken Gung Bao Ji Ding

INGREDIENTS
For the meat preparation :
500 Gr. chicken thighs cut in small bite size pieces
1 Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
Salt & Pepper to Taste

For the Sauce Preparation :
1 Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Rice Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste (optional, mostly for color)
1/2 Cup of Chicken Broth
1 Teaspoon dark brown sugar, honey or sugar cane

For the Vegetables preparation :
2 Scallions cut in 5 cm pieces
1 Garlic clove finely chopped
1 2cm Ginger piece, finely chopped
1 Red Caspicum – (Red Pepper) cut in fine slices
1/2 Onion finely sliced
1 Tablespoon Szechuan Peppercorn ground roughly (Using a mortar & pestle)
3 Dried Chilli peppers cut in small pieces
1 Teaspoon 5 Chinese Spices mix
3-4 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

METHOD
Starting with the meat, cut the chicken thighs in bite size pieces. Place in a bowl and stir in the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, Sesame Oil, Rice Vinegar and cornstarch. Mix well and let the meat rest for a minimum of 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, chicken broth, sesame oil, tomato paste and dark brown sugar. Mix well and set aside.

For the vegetables, simply cut the scallions in 5 cm. pieces – Chop the garlic and ginger – Cut the onion in slices – The red pepper in slices as per above.

Heat a wok until you see the smoke coming out. When hot, add the oil and saute the red pepper, onions and scallions for a few minutes. They should start to soften, but still be firm. Move on the side of the work. Add a few tablespoons of vegetable oil and when it starts to smoke, throw in the chicken pieces, mixing constantly. It should cook for about 3 minutes. Add the Szechuan peppercorns, the five spices mix, garlic, ginger and mix well.
Add the sauce and stir constantly. The addition of corn starch in the meat will thicken the sauce quite rapidly.
Mix it all together and serve in a bowl, with a side of Jasmine Rice or steamed vegetables, such as Bok Choi or Chinese Brocoli.