K.O.W. night.

[kingpin]

Picture doesn't include potatoes or chicken thighs.

[snide]

It would appear that you like the sausage. NTTAWWT.

[Tikiman]

Looks good. Sauce on the left looks to be spicy. What is it all going to be?

[Tikiman]

Since we are doing mise en place, here's one for you.

Clockwise from far left:

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in bite size chunks and marinating in sauce.

Green onion tops.

Green onion bottoms.

Freshly crushed Sichuan peppercorns.

Sauce consisting of cornstarch, soy sauce, Chinese vinegar, Chinese white wine, and water.

Minced ginger, garlic, and dried hot peppers cut in half.

Peanuts.

[snide]

Looks good. Sauce on the left looks to be spicy. What is it all going to be?

Liquid poop.

[Bill]

Since we are doing mise en place, here's one for you.

Clockwise from far left:

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in bite size chunks and marinating in sauce.

Green onion tops.

Green onion bottoms.

Freshly crushed Sichuan peppercorns.

Sauce consisting of cornstarch, soy sauce, Chinese vinegar, Chinese white wine, and water.

Minced ginger, garlic, and dried hot peppers cut in half.

Peanuts.

I mean, I would have just put the onion tops and onion bottoms in the same bowl, but that's the way rednecks like me roll. And what's wrong with the onion middle?

:dance:

[DJ_Critterus]

Looks good. Sauce on the left looks to be spicy. What is it all going to be?

It'll be a pain in his ass this morning :yesnod:

[Tikiman]

I mean, I would have just put the onion tops and onion bottoms in the same bowl, but that's the way rednecks like me roll. And what's wrong with the onion middle?

:dance:


They go in the wok at different times. This is as far as I've gotten trying to make Kung Pao like I used to get at a restaurant called Peking Imperial. Kung Pao at the hole in the wall places is lackluster and disappointing. The stuff I used to get in McLean had a nice, sticky sauce clinging to it. Mine is close, but still lacks that dark stickiness that I am trying for. Going to try adding some plum sauce at the end next time. I think that might be the key I'm looking for. What I'm getting now has a nice, silky sauce that clings to everything but still lacks that caramelization that I am shooting for. I'm hoping the sugars in the plum sauce will do the trick.

[Unsuspicious]

Are you using dark soy sauce
Probably not enough cornstarch to thicken either

[Tikiman]

Are you using dark soy sauce
Probably not enough cornstarch to thicken either

Dark and light. :yesnod:

Sauce right now is as follows:

1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine)
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/3 cup water


It's good and it's close, but I'm still not getting that caramelization at the end that I'm striving for. We're having Kung Pao at least every two weeks while I try to perfect this. My poor wife is probably getting quite tired of it by now. :lol:


Edited because I saw your cornstarch comment. It has enough corn starch to make it silky and cling to everything, but I don't think the corn starch will aid in the caramelization. I could be wrong.

[TheHammer]

No pasta or beans?

[Louie Detroit]

Dark and light. :yesnod:

Sauce right now is as follows:

1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine)
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/3 cup water


It's good and it's close, but I'm still not getting that caramelization at the end that I'm striving for. We're having Kung Pao at least every two weeks while I try to perfect this. My poor wife is probably getting quite tired of it by now. :lol:


Edited because I saw your cornstarch comment. It has enough corn starch to make it silky and cling to everything, but I don't think the corn starch will aid in the caramelization. I could be wrong.

Have you tried adding a tad of baking soda to speed up caramelization?

[GTOguy]

Looks good. Sauce on the left looks to be spicy. What is it all going to be?

Gunite on his toilet bowl. :seasix:

[Tikiman]

Have you tried adding a tad of baking soda to speed up caramelization?


No. I had no idea that baking soda would do that. I'm an amateur cook at best. I really don't know all the chemistry behind it.

[Louie Detroit]

No. I had no idea that baking soda would do that. I'm an amateur cook at best. I really don't know all the chemistry behind it.

It’s an old cooking trick to caramelize grilled onions. Raises the ph and expedites matters.

[Unsuspicious]

Wok hei lacking, aside from ingredients, how's your cooking setup? Got a super hot gas stove? Thin carbon steel wok?

[kingpin]

Dark and light. :yesnod:

Sauce right now is as follows:

1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine)
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/3 cup water


It's good and it's close, but I'm still not getting that caramelization at the end that I'm striving for. We're having Kung Pao at least every two weeks while I try to perfect this. My poor wife is probably getting quite tired of it by now. :lol:


Edited because I saw your cornstarch comment. It has enough corn starch to make it silky and cling to everything, but I don't think the corn starch will aid in the caramelization. I could be wrong.

The heavy, sticky sauce is probably made from heating oil to the wok and adding rock sugar until it melts and gets almost to the stage of caramel. But I can't remember the step afterwards to keep it from turning into caramel. I can't remember if they add oil or water. Then the cooked ingredients are added afterwards to coat. Adding different sauces is just adding more moisture that you have to cook down to thicken.

Proper and higher end Restaurants will most likely be using potato starch instead of corn starch as it doesn't separate or split like corn starch can and get watery.

Also I wouldn't be adding all that to the sauce at once. We can't get the heat of Wok cooking like in a restaurant. SO you add things in a different order.
The Shaoxing wine should be poured on the sides of the hot wok and then the same with the light soy sauce. It helps to add to that smokey taste. Black vinegar, dark soy, sugar, chicken essence(powder), msg get added normally during the cooking process. Sesame oil at the end before service.

[kingpin]

Best Chinese Chef on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jArsVnwbLmc

[ColeTrickle]

The bar is high

[Bill]

I'm just here for the food pr0n. I'm surprised Giraffe (He/Him) isn't getting in on this thread. He LOVES food pictures. Loves them.

[Frankie the Fink]

Best Chinese Chef on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jArsVnwbLmc
Better than these guys ?

[ZipZap]

The bar is high

Hopefully your TP stock is same.:seasix:

[higgyburners]

Best Chinese Chef on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jArsVnwbLmc

some msg :rofl:

[Tikiman]

The heavy, sticky sauce is probably made from heating oil to the wok and adding rock sugar until it melts and gets almost to the stage of caramel. But I can't remember the step afterwards to keep it from turning into caramel. I can't remember if they add oil or water. Then the cooked ingredients are added afterwards to coat. Adding different sauces is just adding more moisture that you have to cook down to thicken.

Proper and higher end Restaurants will most likely be using potato starch instead of corn starch as it doesn't separate or split like corn starch can and get watery.

Also I wouldn't be adding all that to the sauce at once. We can't get the heat of Wok cooking like in a restaurant. SO you add things in a different order.
The Shaoxing wine should be poured on the sides of the hot wok and then the same with the light soy sauce. It helps to add to that smokey taste. Black vinegar, dark soy, sugar, chicken essence(powder), msg get added normally during the cooking process. Sesame oil at the end before service.


I live in the boonies so an electric range is all I have to cook with. Although I do have a propane side burner on my grill. I get the wok as hot as my range will allow (slight wisps of smoke coming off the oil). Agree that when I start adding ingredients, I lose a lot of heat that the range is incapable of replacing quickly.

I'm very close with this recipe. Certainly having fun trying to reverse engineer it.