Kung Pao chicken (Gongbao jiding)

1. Cut the chicken breast into 1.5 cm cubes and mix it with the soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine and cornflour; leave to rest for 15 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, stir the sauce ingredients smooth: soy sauce, black rice vinegar, sugar, cornflour and water.

3. Snip the dried chillies into 2 cm pieces with scissors and shake out the seeds; thinly slice the garlic and ginger, and cut the spring onions into 1 cm rounds.

4. Heat the wok over high heat, add the oil and fry the chillies with the Sichuan pepper for half a minute until fragrant and just darkening, without burning them.

5. Add the chicken, spread it out and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until it turns white; toss in the garlic, ginger and spring onion and cook for another minute.

6. Pour in the sauce and stir until it coats the meat in a glossy glaze, then fold in the roasted peanuts and serve immediately with rice.

Tip: The secret is speed: have everything prepped before the wok gets hot, because the cooking takes barely 5 minutes. Always add the peanuts at the very end so they stay crunchy.