300-350g in total 3 cloves of garlic an equivalent amount of ginger 5 spring onions, white parts only a handful of dried chillies (about 10) 2 tbsp cooking oil 1 tsp whole Sichuan pepper 75g roasted peanuts (see below right) for the marinade 1 tsp Shaoxing wine 14 tsp potato flour for the sauce 1 tbsp caster sugar 6 tsp potato flour 1 tsp dark soy sauce 1 tsp light soy sauce 1 tbsp Chinkiang (brown rice) vinegar 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tbsp chicken stock or water Cut the chicken as evenly as possible into 14cm strips, then cut these into small cubes. Place in a small bowl. Add the marinade ingredients together with one tablespoon of water, mix well and set aside while you prepare the other ingredients. Peel and thinly slice the garlic and ginger and chop the spring onions into chunks as long as their diameter (to match the chicken cubes). Snip the chillies in half or into sections. Discard their seeds as far as possible. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Heat a seasoned wok over a high flame. Add the oil with the chillies and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry briefly until the chillies are darkening but not burnt (remove the wok from the heat if necessary to prevent overheating). Quickly add the chicken and stir-fry over a high flame, stirring constantly. As soon as the chicken cubes have separated, add the ginger, garlic and spring onions and continue to stir-fry until they are fragrant and the meat just cooked through (test one of the larger pieces to make sure). Give the sauce a stir and add it to the wok, continuing to stir and toss. As soon as the sauce has become thick and shiny, add the peanuts, stir them in and serve. Roasted peanuts You su hua ren Roasted peanuts may be used in cold-dressed dishes and also in a few hot dishes, such as gong bao chicken with peanuts Roasted peanuts should be stored in an airtight jar if you don't intend to eat them immediately. To roast peanuts, heat an oven to 120C/gas mark 4. Place the raw nuts on an oven tray and roast for 15-20 minutes, until fragrant and very slightly golden. Do keep an eye on them, as they are easily burnt. If you are not sure if they are ready, remove one peanut, allow to cool slightly, then taste: when done, it will have lost its raw, crunchy flavour and have a dry, aromatic crispness. When the nuts are cooked, remove them from the oven and tip on to a plate to cool. Rub the cooled nuts between your fingertips to loosen the skins. Then stand in the garden or on a balcony and shake the nuts as you blow over them: the skins will blow away.