Pasta with Chicken and Shrimp in Kung Pao Sauce

Kung pao chicken is a dish that everyone enjoys. Because it’s spicy, tangy, salty, and slightly sweet, and it's packed with umami taste.

Pasta is something that everyone enjoys. Because it is so versatile.  It works with any sauce. It can be sauteed, eaten warm, or served cold as a salad. It is also wonderful just boiled with a dab of olive oil and a pinch of salt.

What about a small game-changer this time? It is very acceptable to tweak things sometimes, and no one will object. They might even welcome it. Let us take this pasta, for example. Spaghetti with a Sichuan flavour. Is it possible? Or would it be one of those decisions you will come to regret later in life? Well, let me assure you that this is very wonderful. Once you have tried it, the cross-cultural status of this dish will not matter  a jot. The spaghetti is perfectly combined with the crispy peanuts. Its spicy, sweet, tangy, and savory flavour will endow the pasta with such a delightful sauce that you may want to make it again.

The Kung Pao sauce is the heart and soul of this dish. With the ratio, the sauce is simple to make, and the entire cooking process takes only twenty minutes. This dish requires high heat throughout the cooking process. Other than chicken, I also use shrimp for this Kung Pao pasta. The shrimp is silky and delicate, and the flavour is incredible.

Kung pao dish is original from Sichuan, so dried chilli & whole Sichuan pepper are used to create the Sichuan flavour which is numbing and hot.  If you cannot tolerate too much spice, you may lower the amount of these two components.  One of these tiny peppercorns will quickly cause your tongue to become tingly and numb as you bite into it. I always sauté it fragrantly before removing it.

You should try this recipe because it is more flavourful, takes only 20 minutes to prepare, and is wonderful. You just used store-bought and pantry-friendly ingredients to make it. You can also feed a big crowd on a shoestring budget.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 pack (500g) spaghetti (5 servings)

80g chicken thigh or breast, sliced into cubes

100g shrimps (deveined)

1 stalk of scallions, cut into small pieces

3 baby corns, cut into small pieces

1 mild red chili, cut into small pieces

20g ginger, thin sliced

3 cloves of garlic, sliced

5 pcs dried chilli, soak in hot water and cut into small pieces

50g raw peanuts

1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn 

SEASONING FOR THE CHICKEN

1 tbsp soya sauce

½ tsp sesame oil

½ tsp Shaoxing wine

½ tsp corn starch

SEASONING FOR THE SHRIMPS 

1 tbsp soya sauce

½ tsp sesame oil

½ tsp Shaoxing wine

½ tsp corn starch

KUNG PAO SAUCE

1 ½ tbsp soy sauce

1 ½ tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp dark soya sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

2 ½ tbsp regular vinegar

1 tsp honey

2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

2/3 cup water

METHODS

1. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instruction, removed and soak into a bowl of ice water to keeps them loose and stop the cooking process so they don't go limp.

2. Marinade the chicken for 30 minutes.

3. Marinade the shrimps for 10 minutes

4. Fry the raw peanuts in 2 tbsp oil in a deep round-bottom cooking pot over low heat until crispy, then remove from the pot and put aside

5. Stir fry the chicken with the residual oil from frying the peanuts until it is done or changes colour,  remove it from the pot.

6. Stir fry the shrimps in 2 tbsp frying oil till the colour change, then take them from the pot and set them aside.

7. In a clean pot, add 2 tablespoons of frying oil, the dried chilli, the peppercorn, and the sliced ginger, garlic, and scallion. Sauté until aromatic (as the peppercorn starts to smell fragrant, remove it). Stir thoroughly after adding the chicken, baby corn and kung pao sauce. Add the cooked spaghetti, prawns, scallions, and red chilies and toss everything together until it is evenly coated in sauce. After adding the kung pao sauce, give it two minutes to simmer. ENJOY!!