Saudi Gazette

Bored of bland and poorly seasoned food choices at restaurants? Well, it is time to spice up your life with some authentic recipes at home. This week we selected two mouth-watering, full of flavor and tangy recipes that are guaranteed to hit the spot. Kung Pao chicken and Korean chicken popcorn are our favorites of the week and are easy to make at home for the whole family. Enjoy these two renditions of the classics this weekend.

Kung Pao Chicken

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless chicken breast

2 tsp. dark soy sauce

2 tsp. shaoxing wine

2 tsp. corn starch

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. dark soy sauce

1 Tbs. light soy sauce

1 Tbs. black vinegar

1 Tbs. sugar

3 Tbs. chicken stock

2 Tbs. cooking oil

1 Tbs. Szechuan peppercorn, lightly ground

10 to 15 dried chilies

2 tsp. chopped garlic

2 tsp. chopped ginger

2 to 3 green onions, 1/2-inch pieces

1/3 cup roasted peanuts

Let's get Cooking...

1. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for chicken and marinate for 10 minutes.

2. In another mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for sauce and set aside.

3. Heat large skillet over high heat; add 1 Tbs. cooking oil and marinated chicken. Cook about 5 to 7 minutes or until chicken is 3/4 way cooked. Remove from skillet and set aside.

4. Add remaining 1 Tbs. cooking oil into now-empty-skillet; AddSzechuan peppercorn, chili, garlic and ginger. Keep stirring and let in infuse for about 1 minute.

5. Add cooked chicken back to skillet along with green onions and sauce we made earlier. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Stir in peanuts and remove from heat. Serve with warm bowl of cooked rice.

Korean chicken popcorn

Ingredients

½ pound about 250 to 300 grams of boneless chicken fillet

2 tbsps. corn flour

1 large egg

1 cup bread crumbs or crumbled corn flakes or coarsely powdered oats

Salt to taste

¼ tsp. Turmeric

Oil for deep frying

Let's get Cooking...

1. Chop chicken to bite sized pieces. Add the egg and mix. Sprinkle over flour and mix.

2. Pour the bread crumbs. Mix well and set these aside for about 5 minutes.

3. Heat oil and deep fry meat evenly till golden. keep stirring for even frying.

4. Drain popcorn chicken on a kitchen tissue.

BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

¾ cup soy sauce

¼ cup water

1 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons sriracha sauce

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1½ tablespoons grated garlic

1 scallion, finely chopped

3 tablespoon cornstarch

3 tablespoons water

Spicy Kimchi

Let's get Cooking...

1. In a saucepan combine the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, black pepper, red pepper flakes,sriracha, ginger, garlic, and scallion. Heat the sauce on high and bring to a boil, about 5-7 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, combine the water and cornstarch until smooth. Once the sauce is boiling, add the cornstarch slurry and whisk until thick. Continue to cook the sauce until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and hold, about 6-8 minutes.

3. Toss the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle green onions over top. Serve with kimchi.