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1
Cut the chicken as evenly as possible into 1/2-inch strips and then cut these into small cubes.
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2
Place in a small bowl and mix in the marinade ingredients.
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3
Peel and thinly slice the garlic and ginger; and chop the scallions into chunks as long as their diameter (to match the chicken cubes).
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4
Snip the chiles in half or into 2-inch sections.
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5
Wearing rubber gloves, discard as many seeds as possible.
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6
Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl if you dip your finger in, you can taste the sweet-sour base of the gong bao flavor.
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7
Season the wok, then add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat over a high flame.
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8
When the oil is hot but not yet smoking, add the chiles and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry briefly until they are crisp and the oil is spicy and fragrant.
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9
Take care not to burn the spices (you can remove the wok from the heat if necessary to prevent overheating).
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10
Quickly add the chicken and dry over a high flame, stirring constantly.
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11
As soon as the chicken cubes have separated, add the ginger, garlic, and scallions and continue to stir-fry for a few minutes unit they are fragrant and the meat is cooked through (test one of the larger pieces to make sure).
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12
Give the sauce a stir and add it to the wok, continuing to stir and toss.
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13
As soon as the sauce has become thick and shiny, add the peanuts, stir them in, and serve.
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14
Variations:
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15
The same dish can be made with cubes of pork, shrimp, or prawns.
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16
Cashew nuts can be used instead of peanuts for a grander version of this dish, although peanuts are more traditional.
