-
I made takeout-style kung pao chicken using instructions from Kenji’s new book, The Wok. The instructions are very detailed, as you would expect, and there’s explanations for why you do things, which is really helpful. Among other differences from typical stir-fry recipes, this one has you add aromatics after doing a first pass on the chicken which keeps them from burning, and it has you add thickener toward the end, in addition to including cornstarch in the marinade. It also does not burn and get chunked up into wads early this way.
The flavor balance is good, and it has the thickness you’d expect. It felt like more work, though, but it was worth it.