Kung Pow Chicken

Always in love with Asian foods, I especially enjoy spicy-sweet dishes which are typically laden with wheat-based soy sauces and the like. I have been abstaining from these foods for about a decade, but now the famine is over!

Here is a recipe I have developed that is soy free, gluten free, egg free, dairy free and optionally nut free. I love this sauce, and would use it with pork or beef as well as chicken or a pound of prepared veggies of choice (such as small-diced carrot, shallots, green peas, green beans, mushrooms, peppers, sprouts, etc.). Enjoy!

Balsamic Vinegar Glaze
Purchase Balsamic vinegar, I use Trader Joe's aged Balsamic vinegar - it comes in a jug-shaped glass container with a metal screw top. Pour the entire bottle into a saucepan and heat to a boil then immediately drop heat to low, a medium simmer, stirring initially, then occasionally, until liquid is substantially reduced, and appears thick and syrupy, leaving a thick coat on the back of a spoon when pulled from the liquid. Pour off into an appropriately-sized glass storage jar, cool to room temperature then refrigerate indefinitely.

Kung Pow Sauce
3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar glaze
2 tablespoons pure organic cane sugar
1-1/2 tablespoon Coconut Secret's "Raw Coconut Aminos” or Tamari soy sauce if soy is tolerated
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon organic non-GMO cornstarch, or potato starch, or arrowroot starch, or tapioca starch
1 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1 teaspoon organic Chile powder of choice

Combine all ingredients in a small glass jar, place on lid and shake vigorously to combine. If cornstarch or spices are clumpy, set the jar aside for until you are ready to use it, and then shake it vigorously again. Can refrigerate until ready to use as a sauce for dish that is cooking (shake vigorously before use), or you can cook it now in a saucepan over medium heat until it thickens - pour sauce off into a jar, cool then refrigerate until use. Add desired amount by the spoonful to cooking rice or meat dishes.

Kung Pow Chicken
Prepare 1 pound of meat or veggies, cut to a uniform size.
Select meats or veggies, wash well then dry completely. Slice beef or pork thinly on the bias, and chop chicken in to chunks.

In a large reseal able plastic bag, add 1/4 cup organic non-GMO cornstarch, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon sea salt; close bag and shake to combine.

Add one quarter of the prepared meat or veggies to the bag, seal and shake to coat each piece evenly. Place coated pieces on parchment-covered baking sheet, continuing process until everything is coated.

Fill a pot of your choosing with oil to three inches deep; place pot over medium-high heat and bring oil temperature to 325 to 350 degrees F. Fry coated meat/veggies in batches, being sure to not crowd the pieces too close. They should float freely from one another - otherwise they with never crisp. Once cooked through, remove with slotted spoon to paper towel-covered baking sheet to drain and cool.

Peel than chop 1 medium organic onion into a small dice.
Separate 1 head of garlic into cloves, peel each clove then slice thinly.

Add 2 tablespoons oil of choice to large cast iron frying pan or large frying pan of choice, place over medium high heat and cook until oil shimmers, then add onion and garlic, sauté 5 minutes, or until onion begins to noticeably sweat - do not brown!

                                                                                                                          

Stir in 3 to 4 cups of cooked organic short grain brown rice, reduce heat to medium-low, place lid on pan and cook 5 minutes, stirring once half way through.

Add fried meat/veggies chunks to pan, place on lid and cook 5 minutes, stir then clear the center of the pan and pour in sauce, stir to coat everything evenly, place on lid, drop heat to low and cook about 5 minutes to heat through and thicken up sauce.

Serve immediately!