Recipe for "chicken-stfry1"

NAME

     CHICKEN-STFRY1 - Chinese stir-fried  chicken  with  broccoli
     and nuts

INGREDIENTS (Serves 2-3)

     500 g     boneless chicken breast
     12        white mushrooms
     250 g     fresh broccoli (or 1 package frozen broccoli)
     6 cl      chicken broth
     30 ml     soy sauce
     30 ml     sherry
     15 ml     cornstarch
     1         egg white
     2.5 ml    salt
     12 cl     vegetable oil (peanut oil is best,  but  sunflower
               oil is good too)
     2.5 ml    cornstarch
     180 g     canned bamboo shoots (optional)
     180 g     cashew nuts, broken into large pieces

PROCEDURE

          (1)  Cut the boneless chicken  breast  into  bite-sized
               pieces.
          (2)  Wash and slice the mushrooms.
          (3)  If using fresh broccoli, wash and cut it  up  into
               bite-sized pieces.  If using frozen broccoli, heat
               it or partially thaw it first.
          (4)  Combine chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry,  and  15
               ml cornstarch. Stir well and set aside.
          (5)  Combine beaten egg white, salt, 2.5 ml oil, and 10
               ml  cornstarch.  Add the chicken cubes to the mix-
               ture and stir until the chicken is well coated.
          (6)  In a wok or deep cast iron pan, heat 50 ml  veget-
               able  oil  until  hot.  Add  the chicken pieces in
               small batches and stir continuously  until  golden
               brown.   After  each batch is finished, remove and
               drain.  Add oil sparingly as needed.
          (7)  Stir fry the mushrooms in the wok.
          (8)  Stir fry the broccoli in the wok.
          (9)  Combine the chicken, mushrooms,  broccoli,  bamboo
               shoots,  and  cashew  nuts in the wok. Stir fry to
               get everything  warm  again.   Add  the  bouillon-
               cornstarch sauce and stir until thickened.

NOTES

     Serve with rice.  Don't forget to start the rice so that  it
     will be done at the same time as the chicken.
     Bamboo shoots are  available  in  cans  at  Chinese  grocery
     stores.   Fresh  broccoli  is  preferable  to frozen, and it
     should be stir-fried for only a few minutes to keep it crun-
     chy.   Endless variations of this basic recipe are possible.
     Beef, pork, or other lean meats can be substituted  for  the
     chicken.  Tofu cubes or brown beans can be used to make this
     a vegetarian recipe.  Chopped almonds can be used instead of
     cashews.   Water chestnuts are a delightful addition.  Green
     or red bell peppers can be used instead of broccoli.

RATING

     Difficulty: easy.  Time: 45 minutes.  Precision:  no need to
     measure.

CONTRIBUTOR

     Andy Tanenbaum
     Dept. of Math and Computer Sci., Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, HOLLAND
     ast@cs.vu.nl   seismo!mcvax!cs.vu.nl!ast