Chengdu-Style Chicken with Peanuts, Chiles & Black Beans

Ingredients

• 20 to 24 ounces diced skinless chicken breast and thigh meat
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons Shaoxing or sake (rice wine)
• 2 tablespoons toban djan (doban), fermented chile bean paste
• 2 tablespoons dark soy
• 2 tablespoons black vinegar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons whole fermented salted Chinese black beans
• 2 tablespoons Szechuan peppercorns, crushed
• 12 dried whole Chinese chiles (tsin-tsin chiles or Mexican arbols work well)
• 1 tablespoon sliced ginger
• 1 tablespoon sliced garlic
• 1/3 cup shelled peanuts (skinless)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 cup chopped scallions
• Cooked white rice for serving