Chicken Cantonese

Photo: flickr user roland

Ingredients

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine or chicken broth

2 teaspoons cornstarch

12 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast halves cut into thin

bite-sized strips

1 cup Chicken Broth (see recipe)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

6 ounces dried Chinese egg noodles

or regular fine egg noodles

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon cooking oil

2 garlic cloves minced

2 teaspoons grated gingerroot

cup thinly bias-sliced carrot

cup thinly bias-sliced celery

1 cup red and/or green sweet pepper in 1"

by 1" by 1/4" slices

cup chopped onion

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

cup coarsely-chopped almonds

Preparation

In a medium mixing bowl stir together soy sauce, rice wine or broth, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Stir in chicken and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Do not drain.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together chicken broth and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Set aside.

Cook egg noodles according to package directions; drain and return noodles to pan. Stir in sesame oil. Keep warm.

Pour cooking oil into a wok or large skillet. (Add more oil as necessary during cooking.) Preheat over medium-high heat. Stir-fry garlic and gingerroot in hot oil for 15 seconds. Add carrot; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add celery and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add sweet pepper and onion; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add mushrooms; stir-fry for 1 minute more, or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove all vegetables from wok.

Add almonds to hot wok; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until toasted. Remove from wok. Add undrained chicken to hot wok; stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, or until tender and no pink remains.

Push chicken from center of wok. Stir chicken broth-cornstarch mixture; add to center of wok. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Return vegetables and almonds to wok. Stir all ingredients together to coat with sauce. Cook and stir about 1 minute more, or until heated through. Serve over noodles.

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Comments: This chicken dish is loaded with traditional Cantonese ingredients such as rice wine, sesame oil, and ginger. It is just as tasty served over rice instead of the egg noodles.