Tangerine-peel Chicken Szechuan
From bondc 17 years ago
- 20 minutes to make
- Serves 4
This really is one of the most amazing things I’ve eaten–and the most uniquely flavored. Purists will object to my use of fresh tangerine peel, but dried tangerine peel is often not available at the Chinese grocery (I dry my own because tangerines are not usually available year round), and orange peel is an entirely different thing, “sweeter” in flavor while tangerine peel is almost bitter, maybe grapefruit-y, and orange peel produces a very different, inferior dish. Read more I also double the chilis when I make it, but I love painfully hot food–but before you do the same, note that because of the way this dish is prepared, four chilis will give what most consider to be a spicy dish. Of all my recipes, this is easily one of the five or six most valuable. This is from Irene Kuo's Key to Chinese Cooking, which I'm sad to say was out of print the last time I checked. See less
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, in small cubes shopping list
- 2 T. each: oil and sesame oil shopping list
- 1 t. salt shopping list
- Dry seasonings shopping list
- 1/2 tangerine peel, shredded (or a 2-inch piece of dried tangerine peel, soaked until soft then shredded) shopping list
- 4 dried chilis (the small red ones–chiles de arbol are available everywhere, and work perfectly for Asian, since they’re primarily hot and don’t have a distinctive flavor of their own) shopping list
- 3 green onions, diced shopping list
- 4 quarter-sized pieces ginger, minced shopping list
- 1 t. szechuan peppercorns, toasted and ground shopping list
- Liquid seasonings shopping list
- 3 T. each: dry sherry, dark soy sauce, wine rice shopping list
- 1 T. sugar shopping list
How to make it
- First, put a large piece of cheesecloth folded double in a strainer over a small container, and measure into the cheesecloth the wine rice (like I said, it’s fermented rice–you don’t eat the rice, you extract the sticky liquid and use that). Bunch up the top of the cheesecloth and squeeze out the liquid, then discard the rice and the cheesecloth. Add to it the rest of the liquid seasonings, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Combine the dry seasonings on a saucer.
- Heat a wok until smoking hot over a high flame, then add the oils and swirl the wok to get the oil up the sides. Add the chicken and the salt, and flip it around in the hot oil for about a minute, until all the pink is gone. Add the dry seasonings, mix well, then add the liquid seasonings. Cover the wok, reduce the heat to very low, and cook for fifteen minutes. Remove the cover, turn the heat up on high, and flip until the liquid is evaporated. I always drizzle a little bit of sesame oil on right before serving it.
- Szechuan peppercorns: Available in any Chinese or Asian market, these are not pepper, but the berries of a Chinese evergreen. The taste is unlike anything else, so if you don't have them, there's no substitute. Vaguely citrus-y, they create a tingling, numbing sensation on the tongue. They are not hot.
- Wine rice: Also available in any Chinese or Asian market, in the refrigerator section, sometimes sold as wine taste rice. This is cooked glutinous rice that has been allowed to ferment briefly, and looks, well, like cooked rice. If you can't find it, substitute an equal amount of sherry (it's not at all the same, however.)
Stir-fry the chicken until white
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Add the dry seasonings
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Mix well
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Add the liquid seasonings
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Stir-fry until the liquid is nearly gone
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The Rating
Reviewed by 5 people-
Good Heavens, this is making me swoon and it is 8:00 a.m. I love orange and szechuan pepper together, I know this will be awesome. And on my dinner plate soon. Love the step by step photos, too. Great job.
notyourmomma
in South St. Petersburg loved it
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This looks amazing. I was just thinking it's been a while since I've made Chinese food... and I have all the ingredients on hand, too!
unswissmiss
in Basel loved it
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this dish is so good.. haven't made it in awhile.. I.ve got some tangerine peals drying right now!!
peetabear
in mid-hudson valley loved it
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