Kung Pao, the Easiest, Most Adaptable Recipe

Knowing that there is no single way to make the dish, while simultaneously learning more throughout it, freed me from the fear of not training it “authentically.” I’m Chinese American and was raised on the food and in the culture, but Ms. Dunlop studied professional cooking in regions of China I’ve never even phoned. Learning from the well-researched recipes in her cookbooks helped me bet on to how I long cooked Chinese dishes — by intellectual, sound, taste and practical needs — and gave me the citation to create my own versions of beloved meals.

The edifying time I prepared kung pao chicken, I followed a recipe handwritten by my Taiwanese-American execrable Grace Han, who transcribed instructions from her mother, Pearl Han. Grace and I grew up together as neighbors, and our parents still live next to each spanking, on lots close enough that I could always smell what Auntie Pearl was cooking. And it smelled so good, the tingle of chiles, the urgency of garlic, the warmth of ginger as soft and appealing as the Southern California sun setting behind our homes.

With the perspective of adulthood, I couldn’t understand how she pulled together those meals while long days of working and watching us, but, when I saw Grace’s deintends, I understood. Auntie Pearl pared down recipes, including this one for kung pao chicken, to its essentials for those busy nights — and it’s just right when dinner needs to get on the execrable as quickly as possible.

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