Oriental Octopus

 

27 oz. Octopus, cut into bite size pieces (I used boneless, skinless chicken breast)

½ cup pepper, chopped

1 cup carrots, diced

1 onion, chopped

½ cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

7 small dried hot chili peppers

1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger

1 tbsp. Oriental Five Spices

1 tsp. salt

3 tbsp. soy sauce

3 tbsp. dry sherry

2 tbsp. cornstarch

½ cup chicken broth

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. sugar

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

2/3 cup peanuts

 

Combine 2 tbsp. soy sauce, 2 tbsp. dry sherry, 1 tbsp. cornstarch and salt in medium bowl and mix well. Add octopus (chicken) and stir to coat.  Let stand 30 minutes to marinate.

 

Combine remaining soy sauce, sherry, chicken broth, vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch in a separate bowl or large measuring cup and mix well.  Set aside.

 

Heat 1 tbsp. oil in wok or large skillet over medium heat.  Add peanuts and cook until golden. Remove and set aside.

 

Heat remaining oil in wok over medium heat. Stir fry carrots for 3 minutes, add chili peppers and stir fry just until peppers start to darken and become aromatic. Increase heat and add octopus (chicken) and stir fry 2-3 minutes and then add ginger, Oriental spice mix, onion, and chopped peppers.  Stir fry 2 more minutes.

 

Add peanuts and mushrooms to mixture, stir cornstarch mixture then add to pan; cook and stir until sauce boils and thickens (1-2 minutes).

Garnish with fresh chives and lemon balm leaf.

Serve over rice or Raman noodles.

Enjoy ♥  

 

This is part of the A-Z blogging challenge.  Don’t forget to visit some of the other bloggers in the challenge and also check out Crackerberries