Spicy Chicken with peanuts

Ever since I visited Danny Bowen's Mission Chinese restaurant, I've been exploring sichuan flavors. 2 weeks back I finally bought some green sichuan peppercorns at the asian market. Tonight I was craving something spicy and asked the son if he was ok with extra spice. He said he was craving spicy food too, so I went to work.

The first thing I noticed as I roasted the spices, is that green sichuan peppercorns smell very different from red peppercorns. It's hard to explain, so just go buy some and smell it. You'll see the difference.

Sichuan Spice Mix
1 tsp green sichuan peppercorn
1 tsp red sichuan peppercorn
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
1 dried red chili pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

2 tbsp peanut oil
2 tbsp dobanjan
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 lbs boneless chicken thigh cubed
1/4-1/2 cup raw shelled peanuts
12-36 dried red chili
1 garlic clove minced
1" slice ginger minced
1 tbsp shaoxing rice wine
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
1/2 cup water

Start by roasting the sichuan spice mix minus cinnamon powder and salt in a dry pan until it becomes fragrant. Grind the spices with salt in a grinder until it's a fine powder. Add the cinnamon and stir. Set the spice mix aside.

In a wok over medium heat roast the raw peanuts until they change color and starts to get a few brown spots. Add the dried chili and roast it for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add the peanut oil, dobanjan, minced ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for 30 seconds and add the diced chicken. Stir-fry until the chicken turns white and is mostly cooked. Add the shaoxing rice wine, hoisin sauce and sugar. Let it cook for 3-5 minutes. In the meantime mix the corn starch and water to make a slurry.

Once the chicken is good through, add the sesame oil and corn starch mixture. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens. This goes with rice or noodles.