Kung Pao Chicken

I hope that other people have been able to use my blog as a reference for good recipes just like I use other blogs. Today I decided I wanted "something over rice" so I went to the For the Love of Cooking blog and searched "rice." I found one of the recipes that looked good and tried it out. There are a few things that I feel should be altered to make the dish a little better. Here is my version of the recipe.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into bite sized chunks
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tsp sugar
4 green onions, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/2-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it)
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
*1/2 cup shredded carrots
*1 1/2 cup pea pods, steamed until tender

*I didn't add these ingredients because I didn't have any on hand, but I will plan better next time so I have them.

Prepare rice. Combine chicken and cornstarch in a bowl and toss until evenly coated. Combine the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in another bowl and set aside for later. Heat a large skillet or wok with sesame oil over medium high heat. Once the pan is smoking hot add the chicken and stir fry for 5-6 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Add the garlic, ginger, red pepper and green onions (leaving a few for garnishing) to the pan and stir fry for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the soy sauce, vinegar and sugar mixture to the pan along with the water,  cooked chicken, cashews, and vegetables. Cook until sauce thickens and carrots are tender. Serve over rice and top with remaining green onions. Enjoy.