Ann Maloney
THE WASHINGTON POST – When I picked up The Woks of Life, a cookbook written by the Leung family, I felt a pang of envy. Inside is something many of us would be thrilled to have: mom-and-dad-approved recipes interspersed with stories and photos – even a timeline – of one family’s history.
The cookbook grew out of the family’s decade-old recipe blog of the same name, which began when the younger Leungs realised that while they had inherited their parents’ love of cooking, they did not know how to make the food they grew up eating.
“This book and our blog together are kind of like a family album,” said Sarah Leung, who co-wrote the book during the pandemic with her parents, Bill and Judy, and younger sister, Kaitlin. “We call our blog culinary genealogy. We wanted the blog to be our family’s story as told through food.
“We grew up in a food-obsessed family,” she said, noting that she and her sister learned to cook from TV hosts, such as Rachael Ray and Ina Garten, and cookbooks like The Joy of Cooking.
For home-cooked meals, the sisters might make rice or wash vegetables, but “my parents were at the wok, adding the ingredients. My sister and I didn’t really learn that aspect.
“Honestly, my 22-year-old self had no idea how to make anything in this cookbook, and now I’m developing a quarter of these recipes myself,” Sarah said. “Over time, we’ve achieved our goal: My sister and I are competent Chinese cooks.”
The kung pao chicken, like all the recipes in the cookbook, was tested and approved by all four family members before it was included.
KUNG PAO CHICKEN
Active time: 35 minutes;
Servings: Two to three
To get this classic Sichuan dish right, the chicken and scallions must be cut to roughly the size of the peanuts, so you get a little of each ingredient in every bite; and the sauce should be a balance of heat, sweetness and tang that coats each morsel. Freshly ground Sichuan peppercorns give the dish its distinctive flavour.
If you are serving the dish with rice, put it on to cook before you start making this dish and it should be ready just before the kung pao is done.
Storage note: Refrigerate for up to four days.
Notes: The Leung family encourages you to “wok-roast” your own peanuts. Here’s how: In a wok or skillet over medium-high heat, heat one teaspoon of neutral oil until it shimmers. Add one cup of raw peanuts and stir-fry constantly, to prevent burning, until slightly darkened, about three minutes. Turn off the heat and cook for one more minute using the residual heat of the wok. Transfer to a plate to cool.
This recipe calls for light and dark soy sauces. You can substitute regular low-sodium soy sauce, to taste, but it will have an impact on the final result.
INGREDIENTS
For the chicken:
– 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into half-inch cubes
– One tablespoon water
– One teaspoon cornstarch
– One teaspoon neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
– One teaspoon chicken stock
– One-eighth teaspoon ground white pepper
For the sauce:
– One teaspoon rice vinegar
– One tablespoon light soy sauce
– One teaspoon cornstarch
– One teaspoon granulated sugar
– One teaspoon dark soy sauce
For the rest of the dish:
– Three tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola, divided
– Three medium garlic cloves, smashed and sliced
– Two to four dried red chillies, seeded and crumbled into small pieces
– Half-cup sliced scallions, light green and white parts only (from two small bunches)
– Two teaspoons grated fresh ginger
– Half-teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper (may substitute freshly cracked black pepper)
– One cup roasted unsalted peanuts
– Cooked white rice, for serving
DIRECTIONS
Marinate the chicken: In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, water, cornstarch, oil, chicken stock, salt and the white pepper and toss to coat. Let marinate for 20 minutes.
Make the sauce: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, light soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar and dark soy sauce.
Assemble the dish: Heat your wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat until lightly smoking. Add two tablespoons of oil to coat the surface of the wok. Add the chicken in one layer and sear it undisturbed for 30 seconds, then stir-fry until the chicken turns opaque, one to two minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Reduce the heat to low and add the remaining one tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic, chillies, scallions, ginger and Sichuan pepper.
Stir-fry until the ginger and garlic are fragrant and the scallions are lightly browned around the edges, about two minutes.
Return the chicken to the wok, increase the heat to high, and stir-fry for one minute.
Re-whisk the sauce so the cornstarch is incorporated, then add it to the wok and stir-fry until the sauce has thickened and clings to the chicken, about one minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the peanuts.
Serve hot, with the rice.
