Ingredients
400g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3cm-wide strips
½ onion, cut into fine matchsticks
1 red pepper, stalk, pith and seeds discarded, flesh cut into fine matchsticks
10 dried red chillies
2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, crushed in a mortar
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 bird’s-eye chilli, stalk discarded, rest finely chopped
200g cashew nuts
Vegetable oil
1 spring onion, trimmed and finely sliced, to garnish
For the marinade
1½ tbsp cornflour
1 tsp sugar
1 large pinch Chinese five-spice
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
For the sauce
3 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine, or dry sherry
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp chilli paste, or chilli bean paste
Preparation
Put the chicken in a large bowl, add all the marinade ingredients and, using your hands, massage into the strips until evenly coated. Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl or ramekin, and set aside.
Build your wok clock on a large plate or board. Start at 12 o’clock with the onion, red pepper and dried red chillies, then work your way round with the marinated chicken, crushed Sichuan peppercorns and garlic at three o’clock, the bird’s-eye chilli and sauce at six o’clock and, finally, the cashew nuts at nine o’clock.
Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok on a high heat. When it’s smoking hot, add the onion, red pepper and dried red chillies, and stir-fry for one to two minutes, until the onion is lightly browned and slightly softened.
Turn down the heat to medium and push the ingredients to the side of the wok. Add another half-tablespoon of vegetable oil to the centre of the wok, heat to smoking point, then add the chicken and stir-fry for three to five minutes, until golden brown on all sides. Turn down the heat to medium, add the crushed Sichuan peppercorns and garlic, and stir-fry for two minutes.
Add the bird’s-eye chilli and sauce, and stir-fry on a medium-high heat for two minutes, until the sauce has thickened and reduced and is sticking to the chicken. Add the cashews and cook for a final 30–60 seconds, tossing the wok to combine all the ingredients.
Transfer to a large serving plate, scatter over the spring onion garnish and serve.
