On our last blog we posted a recipe for CHINESE FRIED RICE ,and the response was fantastic. Thank you so much for supporting our blog.
So continuing with our “Favorite Take Out Food Recipes” series; Today we are re-creating one of our MOST REQUESTED recipes. KUNG PAO CHICKEN.
Now I’ve tried a lot of Keto Asian Recipes out there, and although very tasty, they just always seem to fall a little short on that true Chinese (Westernized/American Chinese) Take Out flavor. There are just some Asian ingredients you cannot do without for making Chinese dishes.
#1: Shaoxing Wine – Not to be confused or replaced with Rice Wine Vinegar.
This is the flavor that when you make your own Stir Fry’s, you say it’s good but something’s missing. Shaoxing Wine creates the complexity and the base for a lot of Chinese dishes. You can find it in most Asian Grocery stores. If not, you can substitute with DRY SHERRY. Again, please do not use Rice Wine Vinegar as a substitute, it’s a completely different flavor.
#2: Kecap Manis – Is an Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce, with a molasses type color and texture. Used very prominently in any sweet/sticky Asian dishes. Now Kecap Manis is totally NOT KETO, but lucky for you, we have come up with our own Kecap Manis substitute, using only 2 Ingredients and 10 minutes. Make a batch and store in the fridge, and you will be able to pull this out and use a spoonful of it here and there when you make any of our Keto Asian Recipes. It can also be a good substitute when a dish is calling for Oyster Sauce….not exactly the same, but it would be close enough flavor in a recipe.
#3: Velveting/Marinating – You know how all of the proteins in Chinese Take Out are sooo tender and silky smooth. Well you too will be able to get that texture and tenderness, by using this restaurant secret. It’s called VELVETING. When you marinate your protein of choice and add baking soda and egg white, it very quickly breaks down the cell structure in the meat, making it not only tasty but very tender. This step only takes 20 minutes to marinate.
#4: WHEN POSSIBLE USE A WOK – A good carbon steel wok is a necessity for cooking Asian recipes. Wok’s are able to get to a higher temperature than most cooking vessels, and once seasoned properly, also impart a wonderful flavor to the food. This is often called “WOK HEI” which means “breath of the wok”.
#5: Never use olive oil in Asian Food – It is far too strong a tasting oil to use in this style of cuisine. Our preferred oils are bacon fat/grease, manteca, lard, and coconut oil.
KECAP MANIS RECIPE:
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 cup liquid coconut aminos/light soy sauce if it doesn’t offend you Keto
- 1/2 cup + 2 TBSP Swerve Brown Sugar
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Add ingredients to a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir with a spatula until sugar dissolves and liquid starts to boil.
- Immediately turn heat to low, and keep stirring until liquid starts to thicken to a syrup consistency, around 10-12 minutes. BE CAREFUL NOT TO SCORCH OR BURN the bottom, otherwise it will taste bitter.
- Take off of heat and pour into a mason jar or heat proof vessel with a lid.
- Keep Refrigerated
- Use 1:1 ratio for Kecap Manis/Sweet Soy or Oyster Sauce.
- NOTE: As the product cools or gets refrigerated, it can sometimes firm up and go slightly grainy, due to the nature of Keto Sugars. This will not be a problem, it will not affect the taste or texture of your recipes.
MARINADE INGREDIENTS:
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp erythritol/stevia blend sweetener
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp keto kecap manis (see our recipe above)
- 1 tsp shaoxing wine/dry sherry
- 1 egg – white only
MARINADE INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a dish or large mixing bowl, place protein of choice and all ingredients together, and mix to coat well.
- Leave to marinade for 20 mins to an hour in the fridge.
SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 TBSP liquid coconut aminos/light soy sauce if it doesn’t offend your Keto
- 3/4 TBSP keto kecap manis (see our recipe above)
- 1 TBSP shaoxing wine/dry sherry
- 1 TBSP white vinegar
- 2 TBSP chicken stock/broth
- 1/2 TBSP erythritol/stevia blend sweetener
- 1 tsp sesame oil
SAUCE INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a medium vessel, place all of the ingredients in and stir until well combined.
- Set aside until needed. Be sure to give another quick stir before using to re incorporate ingredients.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1.5 pounds of boneless and skinless chicken thighs cut into 3/4 inch pieces.
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1/2 inch dice.
- 1 green bell pepper cut into 1/2 inch dice or zucchini works well too.
- 1 small onion cut into 1/2 inch dice or how you like them cut.
- 2 celery stalks cut into 1/2 inch dice.
- 8 dried red chilies (we used Arbol Chilies)
- 1 scallion/green onion finely chopped for garnish.
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum for thickening sauce
STIR FRY INSTRUCTIONS:
- Place wok over HIGH heat, add a little oil and wait until it starts to lightly smoke.
Immediately add half the chicken, we add only half because we want a good sear on the chicken. Adding it all at one time will only want to make it boil. Not what you want in a stir fry. Once 3/4 of the way cooked, empty the chicken into a large container and set aside. Follow the exact same procedure for the other half of the chicken and set aside. - Place wok over HIGH heat, add a little oil and wait until it starts to lightly smoke.
Immediately add ALL of the vegetables, stir fry until vegetables are al dente. It should only take a minute or two. - Scoop vegetables upwards to make an empty spot for the 8 dried chilies, garlic and ginger. Stir fry for only about 30 seconds to a minute, then add the meat and stir fry all the ingredients together, tossing well.
- Add the sauce, mix well, then sprinkle the xanthan gum lightly over all of the ingredients. Toss the ingredients well making sure that all of the meat and vegetables are well coated.
- Once the sauce starts to thicken and form a loose glaze, take off of the heat, sprinkle with the scallions/green onion and serve over our Delicious Chinese Fried Rice.
- Enjoy!
SERVES: 4
PRODUCTS WE USE:
Cooking Keto With Faith 
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