Hot and Numbing Rabbit

Cross-posted from the official The World in a Skillet website. We are posting what we call “deleted scenes” recipes, recipes that are great but that we didn’t have room for in the book. Become a fan of our Facebook page and get a look at the recipes two weeks early.

Hot and Numbing Rabbit

Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Servings 4 main dish servings

Ingredients
  

For the marinade:

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon cold water
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

For the sauce:

  • ½ teaspoon cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons cold water
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon chili oil

For the main dish:

  • 12 ounces boneless rabbit meat from 1 26-ounce whole rabbit or 4 boneless chicken thighs, cubed
  • 1 ¼ cups peanut or canola oil
  • ¼ cup peanuts
  • 1 dried Tsin Tsin chili seeded and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
  • 3 scallions sliced thin
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ginger grated
  • 2 teaspoons whole Szechuan peppercorns crushed
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

To serve:

  • Cooked white rice

Instructions
 

To prepare the marinade:

  • In a small bowl, blend together the cornstarch and cold water until no lumps remain.
  • Stir the Shaoxing wine and light and dark soy sauces into the cornstarch and water mixture.
  • Stir the cubed rabbit into the marinade to rest while you are preparing the remaining ingredients.

To prepare the sauce:

  • In a small bowl, blend together the cornstarch and cold water until no lumps remain.
  • Stir the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili oil into the cornstarch mixture, combining thoroughly.

To prepare the dish:

  • Heat the oil in a wok over high heat.
  • Carefully add the marinated meat to the hot oil and fry for 30 seconds. Remove the meat from the wok and allow the oil to reheat.
  • Return the meat to the hot oil and fry for 3 minutes or until golden.
  • Remove the meat from the wok and carefully drain all but 3 tablespoons of the oil. Return the wok to high heat.
  • Working quickly and stirring constantly, add the peanuts, scallions, ginger, chopped chili, chili flakes, and Szechuan peppercorns to the hot oil, cooking just until toasted, no more than 30 seconds.
  • Return the meat to the wok and stir into the pepper and scallion mixture.
  • Carefully add the sauce to the wok and stir to coat the meat.
  • Add the sesame oil to the meat and stir to combine.
  • Serve with cooked white rice.

Kitchen Passport
This is a great recipe to play with balance. Try varying the heat by changing the amounts of hot chilies and Szechuan peppercorns. Try varying the salty-sweet balance by playing with the soy sauce and sweet Shaoxing wine amounts. While this recipe specifies rabbit or chicken, the same seasonings and preparation are equally great when prepared with thin slices of lean pork or beef. Serve the pork or beef rolled in a thin pancake with fresh cilantro instead of with rice.

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