Gong Bao Ji Ding
By: Chelsey
Published: Friday, January 15, 2010 - 7:53pm

Ingredients




1 pound chicken
12 dried chili peppers
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
1 spring onion (thicker than a green onion), chopped (white part only)
1/2 cucumber, cut into 1-2 cm cubes
1/4 cup peanuts or cashews
3 cloves garlic
3 thin slices ginger
2 cups oil (see recipe directions)
Marinade:
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white wine
1 egg white – lightly beaten
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Base Sauce:
3 teaspoons each: sherry and black vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
3 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with a little water to form a paste

Preparation

1 Directions 2 Cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes, mix the marinade, pour over the chicken, and marinate for 30 minutes. 3 Velvet the chicken (you can do this either in hot oil or boiling water): 4 Heat the 2 c. oil until quite hot (450) in the wok, or bring a large pot of water to a boil. Stir the chicken to separate, add to the oil or water, and stir again. If using oil, after about a minute, flip the chicken and cook for another minute, until white. If using water, simmer for about 2 minutes until the chicken turns white. Drain the chicken and reserve, keeping about 2 T. of the oil in the wok (if you used water, you'll need 2 T. oil to finish the dish). 5 Tear 3 chilies into  pieces, then soak them in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain, then pull apart chop into small pieces. Chop the scallion. 6 Heat the wok until very hot add 2 Tbsp. oil. Add the garlic and ginger to the oil, stir for 15 seconds, then add the chillies, both whole and chopped, and Sichuan peppercorn and stir for a minute or two. Add the spring onions and cucumber and continue to stir and flip for another minute. Add the chicken and broad bean paste and peanuts and stir for a minute. Lastly add the base sauce and cook for a minute. Serve.

About


I never get tired of Gong bao ji ding. It is popular among both Chinese and foreigners; in fact, it was named the 2009 Beijing Olympics dish.
It is one of those dishes that has many variants, everyone does it slightly different but they all are similar as well. This is my favorite recipe for it--  I eat it frequently.