The Governor’s Kung Bao
with Brown Rice and Cashews
Legend has it that in the late nineteenth century, the governor of Sichuan province, Ding Baozhen, was missing quite a few of his teeth. One day he ducked out of his palace to eat in a local restaurant where the chef served him a dish of beautifully chopped up, quickly stir fried ingredients. The governor was so impressed with the dish (not least because it was easy for him to eat) that he hired the chef full time and christened the recipe with his official name, Kung Bao. Though some people doubt the story we’re convinced it’s the tooth.* *Sorry, we couldn’t resist that one.
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
Ingredients
1
Brown Basmati Rice
½
Garlic Clove
½
Red Chilli
½
Ginger
3
Spring Onion
½
Chestnut Mushrooms
2
Soy Sauce
(Contains: Cereals containing gluten, Soya)
2
Rice Vinegar
2
Cashew Nuts
(Contains: Nuts May contain traces of: Sesame, Nuts, Peanut)
Utensils
Instructions
Boil a large pot of water for your rice.
Thoroughly rinse your rice under cold water for a minute. Add the rice to the boiling water with ½ tsp salt and cook for arond 20-25 mins until soft. Tip: Once cooked, drain the rice, put back in the pan (off the heat) and cover with a clean tea towel for 5 mins.
Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic and chilli. Peel the ginger with the edge of a spoon and finely chop. Finely slice the spring onions (including the green part) and chop the mushrooms in half or any monsters into large chunks.
To make the ‘gong bao’, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar and 2 tsp of sugar (if you have some) in a small bowl.
Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. When hot, add the mushrooms and sear for 1-2 mins without moving the pan. Tip: If you stir the mushrooms too often they won’t get nice and brown!
Add the chilli, garlic, ginger and ¾ of the spring onion to the pan (reserving some of the green bits) and cook for 2 mins. Add the gong bao mix and cook for a further minute, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cashews.
Drain the rice and serve into bowls. Top with the gong bao and the remaining spring onion. Tuck in!
