Kung Pao Pastrami
Ingredients
Servings: 6–8
Salted Chili Paste
- 10 dried Tianjin chiles or chiles de árbol
- 10 red jalapeños or Fresno chiles, stemmed, with seeds, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 10 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 1-inch piece peeled ginger, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
Pastrami Stir-Fry
- 1/2 cup peanut oil
- 1 cup diced (about 1/4-inch pieces) peeled Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
- 10 dried Tianjin chiles or chiles de árbol
- 1 pound sliced pastrami (about 1/4-inch thick), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts, divided
- 2 celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced serrano chiles (about 4 chiles)
- 1 tablespoon broad-bean paste
- 1 tablespoon low-salt chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon (or more) soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives t
- Chili oil (optional)
Preparation
Salted Chili Paste
- Toast dried chiles in a small dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until slightly puffed, about 1 minute. Let cool. Pulse jalapeños, fish sauce, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add garlic, ginger, and wine; crumble in toasted chiles and process until smooth. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Cover and chill.
Pastrami Stir-Fry
- Set a fine-mesh sieve over a heatproof bowl. Heat oil in a wok or a large deep heavy skillet over high heat. Add potatoes and fry, stirring and shaking wok often, until light golden brown, 7–9 minutes (5 minutes, if using a skillet). Strain oil through prepared sieve. Transfer potatoes to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Return strained oil to wok; heat over medium heat. Add peppercorns and stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add dried chiles and sauté for 10 seconds. Add pastrami, 3/4 cup peanuts, celery, serrano chiles, bean paste, broth, sugar, and potatoes; stir constantly until well combined and pastrami is glazed with sauce, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1 Tbsp. salted chili paste and 1 Tbsp. soy sauce. Season with more chili paste and soy sauce, if desired, and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with remaining 1/4 cup peanuts and chives. Drizzle with chili oil, if desired.
- Recipe by Danny Bowien of Mission Chinese Food in San Francisco CA
- Photograph by Alanna Hale