This is what I've learned: Ingredients matter. And are often hard to find. Szechuan peppercorns, for instance, aren't available at your local Safeway. But their numbing, smoky flavor is essential to a good kung pao. So when I was in San Francisco a few weeks ago, I picked some up, along with real dried chiles. My life hasn't been the same since. I don't want to post the recipe till I've got it just right. But so far, my tips (and this is for a tofu-based stir fry) are: Make sure you fry the tofu till it's crispy. Use more more chilis then you really think appropriate, and cut about half of them into thirds to better disperse their flavor. Cut your vegetables smaller than I did in the stir fry pictured above; use about a teaspoon of Szechuan peppercorns, and don't try to be a hero on this one; Szechuan peppercorns don't heat, they numb, and overuse can ruin your ability to taste other flavors. Lastly, and conceptually the most important, don't oversauce, the flavor should come from the chili-infused oil more than from the actual sauce.Most of my remaining mistakes have been ingredient failures: My Chinese vinegar was of the wrong type, I didn't have light and dark soy, I experimented (adding a touch of Dijon mustard, say, or a teriyaki-soy blend). But in a remarkable demonstration of commitment to my craft, I ventured deep into Virginia yesterday to find a Chinese supermarket, where I was finally able to pick up the right sy sauces, and vinegars, and about 16 other sauces, pastes, and pickled things that I've been wanting to cook with. So: Success! Also, Chinese supermarkets, like all other retail outlets, now play Feist over the soundsystem. Her ubiquity is astonishing. ADVENTURES IN KUNG PAO.
This is what I've learned: Ingredients matter. And are often hard to find. Szechuan peppercorns, for instance, aren't available at your local Safeway. But their numbing, smoky flavor is essential to a good kung pao. So when I was in San Francisco a few weeks ago, I picked some up, along with real dried chiles. My life hasn't been the same since. I don't want to post the recipe till I've got it just right. But so far, my tips (and this is for a tofu-based stir fry) are: Make sure you fry the tofu till it's crispy. Use more more chilis then you really think appropriate, and cut about half of them into thirds to better disperse their flavor. Cut your vegetables smaller than I did in the stir fry pictured above; use about a teaspoon of Szechuan peppercorns, and don't try to be a hero on this one; Szechuan peppercorns don't heat, they numb, and overuse can ruin your ability to taste other flavors. Lastly, and conceptually the most important, don't oversauce, the flavor should come from the chili-infused oil more than from the actual sauce.Most of my remaining mistakes have been ingredient failures: My Chinese vinegar was of the wrong type, I didn't have light and dark soy, I experimented (adding a touch of Dijon mustard, say, or a teriyaki-soy blend). But in a remarkable demonstration of commitment to my craft, I ventured deep into Virginia yesterday to find a Chinese supermarket, where I was finally able to pick up the right sy sauces, and vinegars, and about 16 other sauces, pastes, and pickled things that I've been wanting to cook with. So: Success! Also, Chinese supermarkets, like all other retail outlets, now play Feist over the soundsystem. Her ubiquity is astonishing. 
