Sichuan food is an extremely popular cuisine in China. Once you have tasted it, you understand why; the full whack of intense spices making your eyes and nose run leaves you craving more each time. 

One particular spice that leaves your tongue feeling numb and tingly cannot be escaped. That, of course, is the Sichuan pepper corn. A dish all foreigners know the name of before living in China is Kungpao Chicken (宫保鸡丁) and in China they know how to make it incredible. I thought I would give this dish a go in my own kitchen; this was the end result after researching in restaurants and using online help.

Serves: 3
Method: Stir Fry
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: 5/10

INGREDIENTS

1. 2 chicken breasts (or approx. 4 chicken thighs) deboned and cut into small cubes
2. 5-10 dried chillies, chopped
3. 1-2 tsps whole Sichuan pepper corns (depending on how spicy you like it)
4. 2 handfuls peanuts
5. ½ tsp salt
6. 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
7. 2 ½ tsp cornflour
8. ½ tbsp ginger, grated or really finely chopped into small cubes
9. 3 garlic cloves, sliced
10. 2 leeks, chopped (just use the white bits!)
11. ½ tsp sugar
12. ½ tbsp dark soy sauce
13. 1 ½ tbsp light soy sauce
14. 1-2 tbsp water (depending on how thick or thin you like the sauce)

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DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl add the cubed chicken, 1½ tbsp of the cornflour, salt and Shaoxing rice wine. Mix together and leave in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes.
2. Ahead of cooking time, grab a bowl and add the remaining cornflour, ginger, garlic, sugar, water plus the light and dark soy sauce. Mix together and leave for later. 
3. Now time to toast the peanuts. Get your wok and add about a tbsp of any cooking oil you have. Add the peanuts to the wok when the oil is COLD. If you add them when they are hot they will burn and have a horrid bitter taste to them. Keep moving them continuously until you start to hear a sort of popping sound in the wok. Remove and place on some kitchen paper to drain offany excess oil. Try to leave the oil in the wok so you can use it to cook the rest of the dish. 
4. Turn up the heat and wait until the oil is hot. The oil should shimmer and look like water. When it is hot enough add the chicken and cook for 2-4 minutes until the pieces are white in colour. Then take the chicken out and leave to one side. 
5. Turn the heat down to a medium-low flame, add the leeks, chillies and the pepper corns. Keep them moving until you can smell their aromas being released. Try not to burn the peppercorns otherwise the dish will taste bitter and unpleasant. Then turn up the heat again and add the sauce (step 2) and the chicken into the wok and cook until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is fully cooked. Tip onto a plate and serve.

This dish from prep to serving took around 30 minutes. With more practice, I could probably make it much quicker! I found the whole thing easy to make aside from knowing when to stop toasting the peppercorns, but that takes time to learn. The dish tasted very similar to those you get in restaurants and I could make it as spicy as I liked, which was an added bonus. I would definitely try this one at home if you have the chance to! How spicy will you dare to make yours?