My first job when I was 16 was being a dishwasher at a local, family-run Chinese Szechuan and Cantonese restaurant. Not only were they a lovely family to work for, but they definitely owned and ran the best Chinese restaurant in the city of Windsor. Whether you wanted spicy Chinese vegetable dishes or greasy comfort food – they made it best. While working there, I managed to pick up a few restaurant secrets to stir fries and I couldn’t be more thankful! You’ll see some of that knowledge in the directions.
A lot of different food blogs have their own version of three pepper chicken – and it’s so understandable. It’s definitely a stir fry where the flavours can vary from one household to the next. It usually holds a numbing flavour of Szechuan Peppercorn, but I usually omit it because I enjoy the flavour of the peppers more for this dish.
I also like to have colour in my stir-fry, so I add in an orange bell pepper which also adds in a little sweetness.The heat in this dish really only comes from the Long Hot Green Pepper and the Thai Chili (both of which are staples on my weekly grocery list). You can usually get these at your generic grocery store and they hold a really great heat which is very different compared to the jalapeno pepper or habanero (I wouldn’t substitute with those).
This is also a dish that can be converted to be vegetarian by substituting the chicken with tofu and the oyster sauce with a vegetarian mushroom “oyster” sauce! This stir fry is ultimately very very agile; you can move the flavours around to suit your needs, but I will warn you – if you follow my instructions directly, this IS a spicy dish!
I encourage you to enjoy it served over white rice. Here’s everything you need!
INGREDIENTS & COSTS
Ingredients – for the marinated Chicken
1 Chicken breast ($2.33)
1 Tsp Corn Starch ($0.01)
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda ($0.01)
1/2 Tsp Dark Soya Sauce ($0.005)
1 Tsp Oyster Sauce ($0.01)
1/2 Tsp Sesame Oil ($0.035)
1/2 Tbs of Rice Vinegar ($0.06)
Ingredients – for the Stir Fry
1 Long Hot Green Pepper ($0.34)
1/2 Bell Pepper (could be either Red or Orange) ($0.52)
1/3 Zucchini ($0.31)
1 Cloves of Garlic ($0.02)
1 Scallion ($0.09)
1 Tsp Ginger ($0.01)
1 Red Hot Thai Chili Pepper (Bird Eye Pepper) ($0.05)
1 1/2 Tbs Canola Oil ($0.075)
Ingredients – Finishing sauce
1 Tbs water
1/2 Tsp Dark Soya Sauce ($0.005)
1/2 Tsp Oyster Sauce ($0.01)
1/2 Tsp Sugar ($0.002)
1/2 Tsp Chili oil (optional)
Takes 25 min
Serves 2
Total Cost = $3.89*
Compared to the $12-$16 at restaurants!
*Depending the cost of the ingredients in your area, the cost may be more or less. I live in a fairly inflated part of town, so chances are your cost will be less."
For step-by-step directions on making this stir fry, head on over to my blog.
Check back here every week for more recipes!
