← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 500 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1.5 cm cubes
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• ½ tsp Salt
• 4 tbsp cornflour or potato starch
• 350 ml vegetable or peanut oil, for frying
• 50 g dried red chillies (2 big handfuls), snipped in half
• 2 tbsp whole Sichuan peppercorns
• 5 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp Ginger, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp Sichuan chilli flakes
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Sesame seeds
• 4 Spring onion, cut into 3 cm lengths
• 40 g roasted peanuts (optional)

Method

1. Mix the chicken with the soy sauce, wine and salt and leave for 20 min. Toss with the cornflour just before frying.
2. Heat the oil in a wok to about 180°C (350°F). Fry the chicken in two batches for 3–4 min, until golden and cooked through (75°C / 165°F). Lift out with a slotted spoon.
3. Reheat the oil until very hot and fry all the chicken again for 1–2 min, until deep golden and crunchy. Drain, then carefully pour off all but 3 tbsp of oil.
4. Over low heat, fry the garlic, ginger and Sichuan peppercorns for 1 minute. Add the dried chillies and stir constantly for 1–2 min, until they turn a shade darker and smell toasty; do not let them burn.
5. Turn up the heat, return the chicken and add the chilli flakes, sugar, sesame seeds and spring onions. Toss for 1 minute until everything is coated and fragrant, then add the peanuts (if using).
6. Pile onto a platter and let everyone pick the chicken out from the chillies. Serve with rice and something cooling, like smashed cucumbers.

Tips

• The chillies are for aroma, not eating. Open a window: frying this many chillies can make you cough.
• Contains peanuts if you add them; the dish is just as good without.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

The Mala Market Red House Spice Joshua Weissman