Stranger Foods

Gong bao chicken with smashed cucumber salad

Serves 4 | Prep 5 mins | Cook 25 mins

Gong bao chicken is a dish of succulent chicken stir-fried with peanuts and spring onions. The kick of chilli, tingle of Sichuan pepper and gentle sweet-sour sauce form a typical Sichuanese combination of flavours and this delicious dish needs little more accompaniment than some plain rice and a simple smashed cucumber salad.

Source: The Spicery

Ingredients

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Imperial

x0.5

500 g diced chicken (thighs are best)
1 bunch spring onions, cut into 2 cm lengths (including the green bits)
1 cucumber
3 tbsps soy sauce (any type)
3 tbsps vinegar (rice, white wine or cider vinegar is best)
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsps sugar
75 g peanuts (roasted and salted is fine)
Rice, to serve

Sichuan pepper blend

½ tsp ground toasted Sichuan pepper

Chicken marinade

½ tsp chilli flakes
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp ground toasted Sichuan pepper

Cucumber spices

2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
pinch of chilli flakes

Instructions

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Mix the chicken with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp cornflour, 1 tbsp water and the chicken marinade to fully coat.
Hit the cucumber firmly with the base of a pan or a rolling pin all down it's length until completely smashed and split down the middle. Cut crosswise into 2 cm pieces, then mix with 1 tbsp vinegar, 1 tsp oil, the cucumber spices and a pinch each of salt and sugar.
Mix 2 tbsp sugar with the remaining 2 tbsp vinegar, remaining 1 tsp cornflour, remaining 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp water to make a sauce.
Cook the rice now.
Heat 3 tbsp oil in a wok or large frying pan. When the oil if very hot add the chicken (including all the marinade) and stir-fry over a high heat for or until cooked through.
Add the spring onions and peanuts then cook for or until the spring onions are beginning to soften.
Add the sauce and cook for or until there's a thick sauce coating the chicken (adding a splash of water if necessary).
Stir in ½ of the Sichuan pepper blend.
Serve the gong bae chicken with the rice, smashed cucumber and remaining Sichuan pepper blend to sprinle over at the table.

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