George likes his chicken spicy.
How do like yours?
I don’t know how hot it’s supposed to get, but I’ve never experienced it blazing hot. I usually skip over kung pao these days for something I know will be really spicy, if I’m in that spicy sort of mood.
Although Chinese restaurants generally tone it WAY down for typical people, I have actually had Kung Pao or other supposedly hot dishes that were really too hot at two or three restaurants, one of which was actually at an indoor shopping mall, the least likely pla ce for this.
I should add that I like extremely hot food. Friends of ours have a Hot Food party every year, with blazing hot food, which never deters me. But those two restaurants had me hiccupping constantly – my guide to when food gets too hot.
I still finished it, though.
American-style Kung Pao is also different than Chinese style. The Chinese version doesn’t have carrots or celery, typically, but does have dried chile peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. I know there’s at least one place around here (Spring World) that serves the Chinese style, but I haven’t had it there yet.
I like it good and hot, but I’ve learned beter than to ask for “as hot as you can make it.”
Our local place will customize it for you, so I order blazing hot…no, hotter than that and no peanuts.
Agreed(although that’s how I answered the poll). I wouldn’t actually say that to a waiter - that’s just asking for trouble - but I’ve literally never had Kung Pao that was too hot for me. Other dishes sure, but there’s no really no good Chinese restaurants around here.
Hot enough that the name reminds me of the Adam West version of Batman when you eat it.
:takes a bite:
KUNG!
:takes another bite:
POW!
I just found this recipe from NPR that looks pretty good to me. Hmm…wish I had found that yesterday instead of making vindaloo (well, vindaloo’s great, but I’m in the mood for kung pao now!) The main difference I know is that in the traditional version of the dish, unroasted peanuts are usually used and fried in the oil in the beginning.
I have. That’s how I convinced our favorite Thai place to not white-spice me. I dared the cook. She made the Kao Pad Kra Pow absolutely blazing, so much so that it made her cry. She peeked out of the kitchen to see my reaction, which was absolute joy as I shoveled it down my throat. After that I got my food Thai spicy. 
I like it really really hot, and I’ve never had it so hot I couldn’t eat it.
I ask them to make it as hot as they can. I like to think that way they’ll make it the way they think it’s supposed to be, which is pretty hot but I’ve never gotten it too spicy, or so hot I didn’t want to eat it. It probably helps that I’m not white and I ask for it in Cantonese.
I like it hot enough to give me a very light flush and maybe a few beads of sweat. 
Not so hot it’s painful to eat, but quite spicy.
For me, though, it’s all about the peanuts. Love the flavor of the spicy sauce with the peanuts. Mmmmmm…
Bookmarked! Thank you!
That’s what ya get:p I’ve tried that particular trick at my local Indian and I don’t know which made me cry harder; when I was eating it our the ring sting the next day (sorry for the TMI).
I don’t like spicy in food I’m going to eat a lot of. It doesn’t just burn in the mouth, after all.
Your body gets acclimated to that too, it seems. I haven’t had “ring of fire” in ages, and even when I was a hot pepper novice, it only seemed that pickled peppers caused that sort of heat for me. Maybe I just have really good digestive enzymes or something.