Kung Po Recipe Request?

Question

I have got recipes for this before off the net, but these have always been based around hoisin sauce - which gives the end dish a brown colour.

I am looking for a recipe to produce a dish that at the end is a beautiful red colour, with a sticky, sweet/spicy flavour. I have this dish regularly and would love to know how it is made. I normally have it with King Prawn, but sometimes with chicken.

Thank you for your help.

Answer 1

INGREDIENTS
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 ounce hot chile paste
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
4 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts
4 ounces chopped peanuts
DIRECTIONS
To Make Marinade: Combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture and mix together. Place chicken pieces in a glass dish or bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat. Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
To Make Sauce: In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture, chili paste, vinegar and sugar. Mix together and add green onion, garlic, water chestnuts and peanuts. In a medium skillet, heat sauce slowly until aromatic.
Meanwhile, remove chicken from marinade and saute in a large skillet until meat is white and juices run clear. When sauce is aromatic, add sauteed chicken to it and let simmer together until sauce thickens.

Answer 2

The red color is probably from either chili paste or chili-garlic paste (which has a slightly sweeter flavor) The hoisin sauce adds the sticky -sweet aspect. Good luck. I buy mine at the Asian fish market, but I have seen it in one or two stores around town. It's in a small bottle with a gold label. (Green writing, I think.)