Perry's Kung Fu (Kung Pao) Chicken Stir-Fry

Perry, my silent and deadly significant other, is very fond of his mom's Kung Pao Chicken. And like all ninja-girlfriends, I need to learn how to make his favorite foods so I can win his way to his heart through his stomach to fuel his iron fists.

Kung pao chicken is diced chicken with chili peppers and cashew nuts. Its pretty healthy and packs a good punch in the spice department! This version adds a serving of vegetables and a pinch of sugar. Serve over a bowl of fresh rice with a side dish of veggies.

Perry's Kung Fu Chicken
Serves two - about 15 or 20 minutes

Two chicken thighs or breasts, diced approximately into 1/2 cubes
3 tsp cooking wine
2 tbsp soy sauce
dash sriracha (because i feel like it, ok?)
2 tsp sugar
dash sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch
two cloves garlic, smashed
one thin coin ginger
one large red pepper, diced into 1/2 cubes
1/2 tsp chili paste (adjustable)
one jalapeno, minced, no ribs or seeds if you're sensitive to spicy
one large scallion, sliced thinly
1/2 cup cashew halves, unsalted. (if you have salted, its fine but cut down the salt/soy sauce in the recipe)

1. Put the diced chicken in a large bowl. 
2. In another bowl, combine cooking wine, soy sauce, sriracha, sugar, and sesame oil. Stir well and then add the cornstarch pinch by pinch. Mix well until you have the consistency of a sauce (aka, you dip a spoon in and the marinade sticks to the spoon so that when you draw a line with your finger in the back of the spoon, it still shows after a few seconds).
3. Pour marinade over chicken and mix well immediately. You should not have a lot of marinade puddling in the bottom of the bowl - the marinade should be thick enough to coat the chicken so its not sitting in tons of marinade. Marinate for about 10 minutes.
4. In the meantime smash the garlic, cut the ginger, dice the onion and pepper. Wash and cook the rice.
5. Heat a wok or skillet on HIGH heat. Add a tablespoon of oil. Stir fry is awesome because things cook fast, and to cook fast you need a lot of heat. 
6. When the pan is hot (you see waves of heat off it or a drop of water spits and evaporates) toss the ginger in and fry for 20 seconds. Add the garlic and fry for a bit to season the oil. Add the jalapenos. 
7. When fragrant, add the chicken. Spread chicken out in pan in a single layer (up the walls of the wok). When the chicken is cooked and browned on one side, act fast and stir everything together, flipping the chicken over.
8. When the chicken is all cooked on the outside, add the red peppers and chili paste. Toss until cooked. 
9. If you have a lot of water accumulating at the bottom of your pan, you can do one of two things: 1- keep cooking on medium heat until the water evaporates or 2 - make a cornstarch slurry. 1/2 tsp cornstarch plus tsp of water mixed WELL. Pour little by little into the puddle of water in the pan and mix thoroughly with contents. Only use as much as you need or it will taste starchy! (this is similar to a roux).
10. Taste. Season. Add more chili paste or sriracha if its not as hot as you like. Make sure everything is cooked. Then add the scallion and toss. They don't need long to cook.
11. Right before serving, add the cashews and mix in. The cashews are meant to be crunchy and if left in the dish too long,will get soggy after an hour. If you are planning for leftovers, don't add cashews to the leftover portion - add the cashews always right before eating.

Enjoy!