4 great Chinese Kung Pao recipes. Discover the magic of Asian cuisine!

Are you craving Asian cuisine?

So you are right here.

Try one of the mouth-watering Kung Pao recipes.

We will focus not only on chicken, but also on pork and vegetarian options.

Kung Pao Chicken with Peanuts

Cook a great lunch or dinner for you and your loved ones. Even though more ingredients are needed, the end result is worth it!

Ingredients for chicken

• 800 g chicken breast cut into cubes
• 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cornstarch/cornflour

Sauce ingredients

• 1/2 cup chicken stock, water can also be used
• 5 tablespoons of light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (balsamic can be substituted)
• 2 Tbsp Chinese Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
• 2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 tsp cornstarch/cornflour

Other ingredients

• 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 4 to 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 8-10 dried chillies, cut into pieces (to taste)
• 1 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns, ground
• 4 stalks chopped green onion/leek
• 1/2 cup roasted/unsalted peanuts
• 2 tsp sesame oil (to taste)

Method

• Combine all chicken ingredients in a bowl; cover and marinate for 10 minutes.
• Mix the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
• Heat a large frying pan, skillet or wok to high heat.
• Add 2 tablespoons of oil, add the marinated chicken and fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes until the edges turn brown.
• Remove from heat and set aside.
• In the same size pan, add the remaining oil, stir in the garlic, ginger, chili, peppers, Szechuan pepper.
• Stir-fry for 1 minute.
• Mix the prepared sauce, then pour it into the pan and bring to a boil while stirring.
• Once the sauce starts to thicken, add the chicken and stir until the chicken is evenly coated and the sauce thickens.
• Stir in green onions, peanuts and sesame oil, mix well and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
• Serve immediately with steamed/boiled rice.

Vegetarian Kung Pao with vegetables

While Kung Pao is a dish originally from China, Indians have adapted it to their tastes and omitted the meat. If you fancy this dish without meat, prepare this recipe. You can use tofu or soy meat instead of meat.

Ingredients

• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, cut into rounds
• 10-15 mushrooms, halved or quartered
• 1 small broccoli cut into florets
• 2 red or green peppers, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2-3 red chili peppers, chopped into pieces
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp ginger
• ¼ cup peanuts – lightly toasted in a pan and then coarsely chopped
• 4-5 chopped spring onions or leeks

Sauce ingredients

• 2 cups vegetable broth or water
• ¼ cup soy sauce (or more to taste)
• 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1-2 teaspoons of hot chili sauce
• 2-3 green chillies (to taste)

Method

• Heat the sesame oil in a large pan/wok, add the red chillies and sauté for about a minute.
• Add the ginger, garlic and saute for a few seconds.
• Add the vegetables and stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes until soft.
• Now add the sauce mixture and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat, add the chopped vegetables and cook until the vegetables are just soft, not boiled.
• Then add the peanuts, cornstarch mixture and water one teaspoon at a time until it forms a thick sauce.
• Don’t add the cornstarch all at once – watch the consistency carefully and only add as much as you need.
• Finally, add the spring onion (leek), add salt to taste and serve with rice.

TIP: Do you love Asian cuisine? Get inspired by the best Chinese noodle recipes.

Pork Kung Pao

Although traditional Kung Pao contains chicken, you can also prepare it using pork.

Ingredients

• 500g of pork, cut into cubes
• 3 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce
• 9 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
• 4 tsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp honey
• 4 Tbsp cooking wine (sherry)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 large chopped onion
• 1 piece of broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 piece of chopped carrot
• 2 stalks of chopped celery
• 2 pieces of chopped red pepper
• 200g of mushrooms cut into quarters
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 1 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
• 4 dried red chili peppers

Method

• In a large bowl, combine pork, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons cornstarch.
• Mix well and let stand for an hour.
• Prepare the sauce by mixing 6 spoons of soy sauce, vinegar, honey, sherry.
• Add 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, sesame oil and 6 tablespoons of water.
• Mix the ingredients properly, set aside.
• Heat the peanut oil in a large pan/wok, fry the marinated pork, about 4 minutes.
• Remove the finished pork and place it on a plate lined with a paper towel.
• Add all the vegetables and mushrooms to the pan and cook for 3 minutes.
• Then return the pork to the pan along with the peanuts and chilies. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes.
• Finally, add the prepared sauce. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce begins to thicken.
• Serve ready with boiled rice.

Cauliflower Kung Pao

If you want to make Kung Pao a little different or better, make it cauliflower style.

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 Tbsp sherry
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
• ⅓ cup chopped peanuts
• 4 spring onions, cut into rounds

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Spread the chopped cauliflower on a baking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Roast the cauliflower for 15 minutes until slightly crispy.
• While the cauliflower is roasting, mix the soy sauce, hoisin, sherry, sesame oil in a pan.
• Add the brown sugar, cornstarch, garlic and ginger.
• You may need to whisk a few times to get rid of all the cornstarch lumps.
• After 15 minutes, remove the cauliflower from the oven, add the chilli and return the pan to the oven. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.
• When the cauliflower is roasted, remove it from the oven and add it to the pan with the sauce.
• Add spring onions, peanuts and serve with rice.

What pan or wok?

To prepare Kung Pao, you need a deep pan, preferably a wok. But how to choose the best one?

There are many varieties of pans on the market. It is important to look not only at the depth, but also at the material, especially the inner layer and also the possibility of using the pan. So it is necessary to focus on a pan suitable for your stove.

Get inspired by this article, where you will learn reviews and comparisons of the 5 best WOK pans for preparing not only Asian cuisine.