Szechuan Chicken

One of my favourite flavoured dishes. This Szechuan Chicken recipe is for those who like it hot and spicy!

Serves 4

500g chicken, cut into thin strips
1/2 tsp five-spice powder
1 Tbs Chinese rice wine
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs chilli bean paste (toban djan)
2 teaspoons vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce (extra)
3 Tbs chicken stock
1 Tbs peanut oil
1 red onion, sliced lengthways
2 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns, crushed
8 small red chillis, cut in half lengthways, seeds removed
steamed rice, to serve

Combine the chicken, five-spice powder, rice wine and soy sauce in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

Combine the chilli bean paste, vinegar, soy sauce and stock in a small jug and set aside.

Heat oil in wok until very hot. Stir fry ginger , chilli and onions for 2 minutes, add chicken and fry until just cooked through. Add peppercorns and sauce mixture and stir until thickened. Serve with steamed rice.

Highly recommended recipe book.

 Marinated chicken.

The sauce mixture. 

 Red onion and ginger, prepared.

 A small amount of Szechuan peppercorns, ground up in my trusty (and extremely heavy) mortar and pestle.

 Ground Szechuan peppercorns.