Panda Inn Calendar 2001 Cookbook (Firecracker Chicken)

I found this calendar at a used book store, and while it is from 2001 and no longer usable for keeping dates, it does have a classical collection of twelve traditional Chinese recipes.

Recipes included: Tangerine Pork Chops; Firecracker Chicken; Braised Beef Short Ribs in Garlic Sauce; Curry Prawns with Yams; Tea-Smoked Duck; Crabmeat with Chinese Okra; Halibut in Spicy Red Pepper Sauce; Tender Beef with Chilled Noodles; Shrimp with Macadamia Nuts in Shao Xing Sauce; Spicy Jumbo Scallops with Baby Bok Choy; Eggplant Stuffed with Minced Chicken; and Hunan Seafood with Glass Noodles.

This recipe for Firecracker Chicken is adapted from this book.

Firecracker Chicken

• 8 ounces chicken breast, cut into 2 1/2 inch strips
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
•  Marinade:
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 egg white
• Stir Fry Vegetables:
• 6 ounces sugar snap peas
• 2 ounces shredded shiitake mushrooms
• 1 ounces shredded red chili peppers
• Stir Fry Fragrant Ingredients:
• 4 Serrano peppers, cut in half
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup shredded onion
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Sauce:
• 1/8 cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon cooking wine
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

1. Mix the chicken and the marinade, and let marinate several hours in the refrigerator.
2. Heat the 1 cup of oil in the wok until hot. Add the chicken strips and cook until almost done, and add in the stir fry vegetable ingredients. Stir fry for two minutes until finished cooking, then remove the chicken and vegetables from the oil to a bowl. Remove all the oil from the wok.
3. Add in the the 1 teaspoon oil to the wok, and add in the the stir fry fragrant ingredients. Stir fry a minute. Add the sauce ingredients, expect for the sesame oil, and cook until the sauce is thickened. Add the chicken and vegetables back to the wok, and toss until combined.
4. Drizzle the sesame oil over the top, and toss again.
5. Serve.

Book Information:

• Panda Inn Calendar 2001: A Closer Look.
• Panda Management Company, Inc; 2001.
• Spiral bound, 75 pages - recipes on glassine paper.

Disclosure: This book was purchased by me and any opinions are my own.


+Renee Shelton
Twitter: @121degreesC