![\"kungpaop\"](\"http:\/\/www.withaglass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/kungpaop.jpg\")
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Have you ever tasted the famous Gong Bao\/Kung Pao Chicken? I also thought I did before I prepared it on my own, following the instructions from the excellent\u00a0Sichuan Cookery by Fuchsia Dunlop<\/a>\u00a0(I have already mentioned this fantastic book when I posted Steamed Aubergine with Chili Sauce<\/a>). While reading the ingredient list I already felt something was wrong with all the dishes bearing the same name, previously tasted in Chinese restaurants, but as soon as I took the first mouthful, inhaling an extraordinary aroma, I realised\u00a0it was my very first Gong Bao Chicken (or at least something extremely close to the genuine Sichuanese specialty).<\/p>\n Gong Bao or Kung Pao takes its name from a XIXth century governor of Sichuan, whose official title was “gong bao”. The name was banned and modified in the communist China until the 80s, when it started to be accepted once more. Apart from the chicken cubes, this famous dish contains chili peppers, spring onions, garlic, ginger, \u00a0Sichuan peppers and most often toasted peanuts, but according to the author cashew nuts are also encountered. It may seem very simple, but the flavours are very unusual and surprising for someone who knows Chinese cuisine from European restaurants. Two things make Gong Bao unique: Sichuanese peppercorns and the very light sour, sweet and hot sauce prepared with black Chinkiang vinegar.<\/p>\n If you have never tasted it, Sichuan pepper\u00a0is one of the most magical spices in the world. As its name suggests, it is widely used in Sichuan province, but is not similar to any pepper I know. The peppercorns are very dark red-brown and have a characteristic numbing effect on the tongue (I like to call it “paralysing”). Nothing can substitute them here,\u00a0so unless you know well and dislike Sichuan peppercorns, don’t skip them while preparing this delicacy for the first time.<\/p>\n