hi, everyone! I am Clara Hale, a full-time family food blogger who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have been studying Chinese cuisine for just 3 years. Unlike many bloggers who pursue trendy improvements, I am especially obsessed with the original taste of old Chinese cuisine. My family has collected more than a dozen old Chinese cuisine recipes. I always want to restore those classic flavors that are not fancy and warm enough to my heart with the simplest homely methods. My personality is gentle and slow. My speech is always gentle and soothing. I don't express myself too much. I always make a pot of light chrysanthemum tea when cooking. I process the ingredients slowly and adjust the ingredients carefully. I especially enjoy the healing feeling in the cooking process. I wear a soft cotton and linen dress everyday. I wear a string of handmade ceramic bracelets on my wrists all the year round. It is a gift from my mother when I started to share food. I am the resident creator of home-cooked food in howcooks. I have always been the main content of "zero-difficulty traditional Chinese food". I am also very happy to be howcooks with friends who also prefer home-cooked food. I have a good chat with you about this traditional kung pao chicken, which has been passed down for 100 years, and share the authentic family version I have repeatedly debugged with you without reservation.

The first time I really fell in love with traditional kung pao chicken was not in a popular Chinese restaurant, but in the home of a Chinese grandmother living in Chinatown. It was a weekend afternoon. The grandmother made a plate of kung pao chicken with the most common kitchen utensils and slow work. There was no strong seasoning and complicated setting, but it had a warm and moist taste that made people fall into one mouthful-salty and delicious, sweet and soft, and slightly spicy, diced chicken is tender but not rotten, peanuts are crisp and fragrant, and their mouths are full of sweetness after eating, without any greasy taste. Since then, I have made up my mind to make a version that is suitable for family operation and can be re-carved without professional cooking skills. I will abandon the heavy oil and heavy seasoning in restaurants and retain the core flavor of traditional dishes. This version of homely traditional kung pao chicken has also become my favorite recipe for treasure mothers and kitchen novices in howcooks. Many people say that if I do it, my family will not be tired of eating it, and the elderly and children will love it.

Old-school classic original flavor kernel: traditional kung pao chicken fireworks origin

traditional kung pao chicken can become a national home-cooked dish that has been circulated for a century. It never depends on strong taste, but on the mild and balanced spicy litchi flavor. This is also the core reason why it can adapt to the taste of the whole family and spread all over the world. The origin of this dish is closely related to Ding Baozhen in the late Qing Dynasty. It was named after his title "Prince Shaobao". The initial taste was sour and spicy. After it was introduced into Sichuan, after generations of home-made cooks, it was gradually shaped into a soft flavor with a balance of sour, sweet, salty and fresh, slightly spicy and fragrant. It faded from the strong Jianghu cuisine, and thoroughly entered the homes of ordinary people.

Many people will confuse the traditional kung pao chicken with all kinds of spicy and improved versions. In fact, there is an essential difference between the two: the traditional version never uses heavy hemp and spicy seasoning, the main ingredient is fixed with delicate chicken breast, the crisp ingredient is only matched with original peanut, the ingredient juice blending pays attention to "sweet without pressing fresh, sour without piercing", highlights the taste of the ingredients themselves in the whole process, does not have extra auxiliary materials piled up, and is extremely simple but tests details, is the most can reflect the Chinese homely "seasoning degree" representative dishes. It does not pick seasons or occasions. It is suitable for daily meals, weekend gatherings and lunches. There is no picky taste barrier. This is also the confidence that classic dishes can be passed down from generation to generation.

Family zero failure practice: novice friendly, details in place without rollover

this version of traditional kung pao chicken I made is suitable for the family kitchen. It does not need professional kitchen utensils or complicated seasonings. The core focuses on the three key points of chicken tenderness, peanut crisp and sauce accuracy. Even a novice who makes Chinese stir-fry for the first time can easily make a warm and authentic old taste. Each step is marked with home-made practical details and avoids all places that are easy to step on.

Home-cooked ingredients list (minimalist, no waste, supermarket all done)

the main ingredient is 1 piece of fresh chicken breast, about 200g, cut into 1.5cm uniform cubes, and the size is the same to be cooked at the same time, avoiding some old ones. Only 50 grams of raw peanuts are used for crisp ingredients, and salt baking and frying are rejected. The fried taste is crisper now. Spices only need 3-4 dried red peppers and a pinch of dried prickly peppers. The dosage is mild, only spicy and not too spicy, not too spicy; the auxiliary materials are 2 ginger slices, 2 garlic slices and a little scallion segments. The seasoning is only raw soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, white sugar, cooking wine, salt and corn starch, which are all the basic seasonings available at home. No special sauce is required.

Step-by-step practical exercises (slow work and fine work, homely exercises are not difficult)

the first step is to marinate the diced chicken, which is the core of the diced chicken. Put the diced chicken breast into a bowl, add 1 spoon of cooking wine to remove fishy smell, half spoon of raw soy sauce to extract freshness, and a little salt to base the flavor. After grasping evenly with your hands, add 1 spoon of corn starch, fully grasp and mix again, finally pour a small spoon of edible oil, lock the moisture in the meat, and let it stand and marinate for 8-10 minutes. Don't marinate for a long to avoid the tightness, it is a homely trick that I have tried countless times to make diced chicken tender without firewood.

The second step is to fry peanuts to keep the crispy taste. Pour a little edible oil into the cold pan, turn on the minimum fire, directly put in the raw peanuts, stir-fry slowly, and fry slowly in the whole process with a small fire. When you see the surface of the peanuts yellowing slightly, immediately turn off the fire and take them out. The remaining temperature can make the peanuts crisp and crisp. Don't fry them until they are deep yellow, otherwise they are easy to suffer, don't wait to stir-fry before rushing to operate.

The third step soul feed juice, the key to traditional flavor type. This is the usual golden ratio that I have repeatedly adjusted. It is accurate and easy to remember: 2 tablespoons of raw soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon of white sugar, a little bit of salt, half a tablespoon of corn starch and 3 tablespoons of clear water. All of them are put into a small bowl and stirred evenly. The juice is adjusted in advance to avoid confusion during cooking. The taste is just the traditional litchi taste, there will be no sweet or sour problems.

The fourth step is to fry the paste spicy, small fire is the key. Put a proper amount of edible oil in the pan, turn to the minimum heat after the oil is heated, add prickly ash and dried red pepper, slowly stir-fry the fragrance, remember not to turn on the fire, otherwise the pepper and prickly ash are easy to stir-fry, taste bitter, affect the taste of the whole dish, stir-fry light paste spicy, add ginger and garlic slices, simply stir-fry the fragrance, then turn to medium heat to prepare diced chicken.

The fifth step is to stir-fry diced chicken quickly and lock it fresh over high fire. Turn the fire, add the pickled chicken, stir-fry quickly, about 1 minute or so, see all the chicken white, 80% ripe, chicken breast is easy to cook, stir-fry for too long will become old, lose tender and smooth taste, Chinese stir-fry pays attention to quick stir-fry and fresh, this step must be crisp and neat.

The sixth step is to collect the juice and get out of the pot, keeping the peanuts crisp. Pour in the sauce prepared in advance, stir-fry quickly, so that each piece of chicken is wrapped in thick sauce, then add cool peanuts and scallion segments, quickly turn over the fire for 10 seconds, immediately turn off the fire, peanuts and scallion segments cannot be stir-fried for a long time, otherwise peanuts will become soft, scallion segments will turn yellow, crisp feeling and clear fragrance will disappear, hot out of the pan, and taste is the best.

Traditional Version Taste Details

the prepared traditional kung pao chicken has a warm and hierarchical taste: the chicken breast is smooth and delicate, the entrance is soft but not rotten, each piece is wrapped in translucent sauce, the entrance is first light salty and fresh, followed by soft sweet and sour, the tail is mixed with a hint of spicy flavor, and the taste is properly balanced. Peanuts are crisp and crisp, with a light flavor of nuts after biting, neutralizing the tender and tender chicken, the overall taste is fresh and non-greasy, and it tastes warm and palatable. There is no stimulation of heavy seasoning at all. The elderly and children eat it without pressure. With a bowl of white rice, it is simple but extremely satisfying.

Home classic healing power: why I cling to the traditional flavor

in the past few years when howcooks share home-cooked Chinese food, I have always felt that the best home-cooked food is never the pursuit of novelty and intensity, but the preservation of the classic original taste, just like this traditional kung pao chicken, which has no expensive ingredients and no complicated processes, but can cure the tiredness of busy life with just the right seasoning. It is suitable for all family scenes. It is simple and quick to eat by one person without spending too much time. When the family has a dinner, it is suitable for all ages and no one is not used to it. Lunch with food is also suitable. After heating, the taste is still online and will not change easily like heavy spicy food.

Compared with all kinds of improved versions, the advantage of the traditional version is that it is tolerant, does not prefer a certain taste, and can make the whole family happy. This is also the most precious meaning of home cooking-not stunning taste buds, but long-term warm-hearted companionship. It is enough to keep the old taste without deliberately catering to the trend.

Warm heart tips and howcooks interaction

finally, I would like to give some advice to howcooks friends: if you can't eat spicy food, you can directly remove prickly ash and chili, and the taste is still authentic; If you like a more tender taste, you can replace chicken breast with boneless chicken leg meat, which will make the taste more plump. The white sugar in the juice is only fresh, and do not add it at will to avoid sweetness and greasiness.

I have always felt that the classic home-cooked dishes hide the taste memory of a generation. What is the taste of the traditional kung pao chicken in your memory? Do you have any home-cooked tips of your own? Welcome to share with me in the comment section of the howcooks, and try this version of the family zero failure method quickly to feel the gentle healing of the traditional old flavor.

May every friend of howcooks be able to make heart-warming home-cooked dishes with simple ingredients in ordinary days. We will continue to share more traditional home-cooked delicacies that are not fancy and delicious in howcooks next period ~