Kung Pao Chicken

Ingredients

650g (1 1/3 lbs) boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1cm (1/2-inch) pieces
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sherry
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornflour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
85ml (1/3 cup) water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
50g (1/2 cup) peanuts
4 shallots, white bulbs and green tops cut separately into 1cm (1/2-inch) pieces
1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes

Method

• Toss together the chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of the sherry, and 1 tablespoon of cornflour, in a medium-sized bowl: set aside.
  
  

• In a small bowl, combine the sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, water, and the remaining 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sherry, and 2 teaspoons cornflour: set aside.
  
  

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok, over moderately high heat. Add the peanuts and stir-fry until light brown, about 30 seconds. Remove from the pan: set aside. Heat the remaining oil, then stir in the white part of the scallions along with the red-chili flakes, stirring for 30 seconds. Add the chicken with its marinade and cook, stirring, until almost done, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the soy-sauce mixture and the scallion tops and simmer until the chicken is done, about 1 minute longer. Stir in the peanuts.