Kung Pao chicken

Trim excess fat from the chicken thigh and dice into half to three-quarter inch pieces of even size.

Mix the chicken with light soy sauce, a little cornstarch, a little Shaoxing wine and salt; marinate, ideally about 20 minutes.

Variation: for extra-tender chicken, wash it first by swirling it in a bowl of cold water with the fingertips; it absorbs the marinade better.

Slide the slimy outer layers off the scallions under cold water; cut the whites into knobs the size of the chicken.

Peel and trim the garlic and slice it at a slight angle.

Peel the ginger with a spoon, slice into planks and cut into fine julienne.

Snip the stem ends off the dried chilies, shake out the seeds (leave them for a fiery dish), and cut in half.

Pick black seeds and twigs out of the Sichuan peppercorns, keeping just the husks; about a teaspoon.

In a little bowl mix a couple tablespoons of water or stock, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, Chinkiang vinegar, a little cornstarch and about a tablespoon of honey.

Preheat a wok over the highest heat; fry the raw peanuts in peanut oil until golden and lift out with a slotted spoon.

Off heat, pour off oil to leave a couple of tablespoons. Fry the aromatics just a few seconds to infuse the oil without burning, then add the chicken.

Variation: on a weak stove, cook the chicken in two batches, reheating the wok between, then cook scallions and peanuts and return the chicken before the sauce.

Stir-fry the chicken in constant motion; add the garlic, ginger and scallions.

Return the peanuts, stir the sauce so the cornstarch is not settled, add it and toss to finish.