Szechuan Peppery Hot Chicken
"Szechuen Peppercorns have a distinctive bitter sweet chili kind of flavor and this flavor combined with the chili oil etc is what gives the true Szechuan flavor. So look for the real Szechuen pepper corns. You can control the heat by increasing or cutting backon the heat. You may want to add some chili paste as well. Just stir fry the the cut up chicken until cooked, keep it warm and stir fry the sprouts until they are just heated through combine and ther's your dinner."
- Ready In:
- 25mins
- Ingredients:
- 11
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, stir fried and kept warm
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon ground szechuan peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons hot chili oil
- 1 lb bean sprouts, stir fried
- cilantro (to garnish)
directions
- Mix all the sauce ingredients to gether in a bowl.
- Arrange warm chicken and hot sprouts on a platter and pour the sauce over.
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Reviews
-
Szechuan peppercorns (Xanthoxylum piperitum) are not at all hot. In fact they aren't even peppercorns, but a kind of berry. Called "hwa jao" in Mandarin or "fa joo" in Cantonese, they have a slight numbing effect on the tongue rather than burning. The heat in Szechuan recipes comes from chiles of various types and in various forms. (See below) They are generally used in either of two ways: For stir fried dishes: heat a dry skillet (no oil) on medium flame and add the Szechuan peppercorns. Toss and stir until they start to smoke a little. (Don't burn them). When cool enough to work with grind them in a spice mill, mortar & pestle or pepper grinder. (I have an old electric coffee grinder that I use expressly for grinding spices). Use whatever the recipe calls for and freeze the rest in a plastic container. For stews: add them whole along with the other seasonings and remove before serving. This ingredient is one of the key flavoring elements of Szechuan cuisine and has no substitute. Nothing else I've ever found tastes remotely like it. But it is definitely not hot! For heat you can use fresh or dried green or red chiles such as finger hots, jalapenos or serranos. Leave the seeds in for more intense heat. (Warning: wear something to protect your hands while working with fresh chiles! And never get them anywhere near your eyes)! There are also several types of hot sauces/condiments available in Asian markets. Chile oil comes in bottles but generally isn't very hot - at least the brands I've found. You can make your own if you like and make it as hot as you wish. There are also a few kinds of chile sauce that don't have an oil base; some have garlic, others don't. Szechuan hot bean paste, another of the essential ingredients of the cuisine, comes in cans. (There's also a bottled version that's murderously hot). Another good condiment to have on hand is called chile paste with garlic. When using it you should cut back on chiles and garlic in the recipe. tgobbi -
Very tasty and quick stir fry. I added red, yellow and green bell pepper but didn't care for them with the sauce. The recipe is perfect as written.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Bergy
Small town in the Okanagan, B.C.
On January 10 2010 I will celebrate 9 years of Life with Zaar. I can't imagine being without it! It has become part of my daily routine.
I feel very privileged to be one of the hosts on the Photo Forum. Taking photos of my culinary efforts is a full time hobby and I love it. My friends all know what to expect when they come to dinner "Are you finished taking pictures?" or "Did you get a photo of so & so?" I never let them wait too long and the food is NEVER cold! I now have over 6000 photos on Zaar - some fairly good and some definitely not so good. I am happy to say that practice does help.
My roots are in Vancouver BC Canada - a very beautiful city that holds many wonderful memories for me. In 1990, I decided that for my retirement years I may want to settle in a smaller community and found a slice of heaven in the North Okanagan B.C. I love living here but every once in a while I miss the bright city lights, the Broadway shows and some of the small wonderful ethnic restaurants that Vancouver abounds in. That is easily resolved. I just take a trip to the coast, visit with friends for a weekend see a show and feast on Dim Sum or other specialty foods.
I am getting a bit long in the tooth but was a very adventurous person. I have river rafted Hell's Gate on the Fraser river, been up in a glider over Hawaii (no not a Hang Glider!), gone hot air ballooning in the Napa Valley & the Fraser Valley, driven dune buggies on the dunes in Oregon, Para sailing in Mexico and tried many other adventurous, challenging, fun things. I have yet to try bungee jumping or sky diving. I may do them yet. I love to travel and experience other cultures. Mexco has been a favorite haunt. I have visited that lovely country many many times. Australia is another favorite as is England!
In the past 16 months I have taken off 61 pounds and feel wonderful. I am off all medications and all systems are GO! In years I may be 79 but in spirit I am still in my forties. We are only as old as we allow ourselves to feel. Always think positive. Do something a bit challenging every day & always do something silly every day. Be a kid again! Laugh every day - it is internal jogging.
Here are a few of my photos
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