Kung Pao Lobster

One of my favorite food pickup joints is Panda Express. I love their Kung Pao chicken. However, that’s quiet high up my spice tolerance scale. So I created a recipe which is not as hot, but is equally tasty. You can use the same recipe for a variety of white meat. Since my husband ensures he always picks up lobster tails each time he is at Costco, I have always a regular supply of it. So here goes Kung Pao Lobster.

Ingredients

1. For marination
   1. 1.5 lbs. of lobster cut into small cubes
   2. 1 egg
   3. 2-3 tbsp. of soya sauce
   4. 1 tbsp. of corn flour
2. For sauce
   1. 1 cup water or chicken stock
   2. Half cup soya sauce
   3. 2 tsp. black pepper powder
   4. 2 tbsp. of rice vinegar
   5. 1 tsp. chili sauce
   6. 1 tsp. sugar
3. Other Ingredients
   1. 5-6 dry red chilies
   2. 1 medium onion cut into cubes
   3. 1 bell pepper cut into medium sized cubes
   4. 1tbsp chopped ginger
   5. 1 tbsp. chopped garlic
   6. A handful of roasted cashews (you can use roasted peanuts as well)
   7. Salt
   8. 1 tbsp. of corn flour

Procedure

In a mixing bowl take all the ingredients listed under marination. Mix them well. Marinate for 30 minutes.

Mean while in a bowl take all the ingredients listed under sauce. Give it a nice mix. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Your Kung Pao sauce is now ready.

Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the marinated lobster pieces. Don't fry it for a long time. Remove them when they are 3/4th done. Rest of the cooking will be done in the sauce.

In a pan take 3-4 tbsp. of oil you have used for frying the lobster pieces and heat it. Add the dry red chilies to it. Make sure you fry them till they are dark brown in color. This way the oil extracts all the flavor of red chilies into itself.

Now add chopped ginger and garlic and sauté for a while. Add onion and bell pepper cubes to it. Fry them on high heat for about a minute. Add the sauce mixture you made before and bring it to boil. Don't boil for a long time because you’d want your vegetables crunchy. You can adjust the quantity of the sauce mixture depending on how dry you want the dish.

Add fried lobster and roasted cashew to it and mix with the sauce well. If required you can add little salt at this point. In a bowl take corn-flour and mix with little water. Pour the corn-flour mixture and give a nice toss. 

Enjoy on a bed of stir fried noodles.

I have also posted the recipe for the noodles I used with it (Chili Garlic Noodles)

Lobster with chili garlic sauce

This part II of the fried-rice lobster combo that I cooked.

 

Ingredients

1. 2 lobsters cleaned, deveined and cut into medium sized cubes
2. 1 large onion cut into thick cubes
3. 1 green bell pepper cut into medium cubes
4. Minced garlic - 2 tb spoon
5. Chili garlic sauce - 2 tb spoon
6. Oil for deep frying

For Marination

1. Garlic paste - 1tbspoon
2. Ginger paste -  1tbspoon
3. Black pepper powder - 1 teaspoon
4. Corn flour - 3 to 4 tb spoon
5. Egg -  1 beated
6. Salt

Procedure

Take the lobster pieces and add salt, black pepper powder and ginger, garlic paste to it. Mix it well and marinate for an hour. Now add 2 tb spoon of corn flour to it Gradually add the beaten egg and make a thick batter.

Heat oil in a wok or kadai until it starts smoking . Release the marinated lobster pieces into the hot oil and fry them till they turn golden brown in color.

Take couple of spoons of oil in a wok from the oil you used for frying the lobster pieces and heat it. Add the chopped garlic and sauté it for a while on a high flame without browning it.

Now add the onion and toss them around. While the onions are still pink add the bell pepper.

After cooking the bell pepper with onion and garlic add chili garlic sauce.

Whisk the remaining corn starch in half a cup of water and add little by little when the sauce starts boiling in the wok.

Keep mixing it continuously so that it doesn't form any lump. Give it a taste test to check the salt.

Now add the fried lobster pieces and toss it in the sauce. When the lobster pieces are coated with the sauce finish it with chopped green chilies and black pepper powder.