There are 6 main ingredients in the sauce to make the perfect Kung Pao Chicken:
Chicken broth or stock (use low sodium) — you can also use water if you don’t have any broth on hand!
Light soy — use light or low sodium if you can. Regular soy creates a really salty sauce for this recipe.
Dark Soy Sauce — adds beautiful colour and flavour to the sauce!
Hoisin sauce — more depth of flavour!
Chinese black vinegar — or a good quality balsamic vinegar can be used instead.
Chinese wine (Shaoxing) — to substitute you can use any of the following: dry sherry, gin, rice wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar.
For the stir fry, I’ve included broth red and green bell peppers (or capsicums) and the traditional roasted peanuts. You can also add in diced celery, sliced carrots and/or zucchini!
We can’t call it Kung Pao Chicken if there’s no Sichuan (or Szechuan) pepper! They provide delicious mouth-numbing heat! Find them in Asian grocery stores and supermarkets, or Chinatown shops (even gourmet chains such as Whole Foods).
To toast them, add to a dry pan, wok or skillet over medium heat. Stir for about one minute until fragrant. Then transfer to a mortar and pestle to grind.
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