Yield: 3 servings
| Measure | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 4 \N | Medium-size dried mushrooms |
| 2 teaspoons | Soy sauce |
| 2 teaspoons | Cornstarch |
| 2 teaspoons | Dry sherry |
| 2 teaspoons | Water |
| 1 dash | Of white pepper |
| 1½ pounds | Chicken breasts ** |
| 3½ tablespoon | Salad oil |
| 1 small | Clove garlic, minced |
| ½ cup | Sliced bamboo shoots |
| ¼ pounds | Snow peas ** |
| \N \N | Cooking Sauce |
| ½ cup | Water |
| 1 tablespoon | Dry sherry |
| 2 tablespoons | Oyster sauce |
| ¼ teaspoon | Sugar |
| 1 teaspoon | Sesame oil |
| 1 tablespoon | Cornstarch |
* Ends and strings removed from snow peas ** Chicken breasts should be skinned, boned and cut into bite sized pieces.
Cover mushrooms with warm water, let stand for 30 minutes, then drain. Cut off and discard stems; squeeze mushrooms dry, thinly slice and set aside. In a bowl, combine soy, cornstarch, sherry, water and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat, then stir in 1½ t of the oil and let stand for fifteen minutes to marinate.
Prepare cooking sauce - mix together water, sherry, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil and cornstarch and set aside.
Place a wok or wide frying pan over high heat. When pan is hot, add 2 T of the oil. When oil begins to heat, add garlic and stir once.
Add chicken and stir-fry until chicken is opaque (about 3 minutes).
Remove chicken from pan. Add remaining 1 T oil to pan. When oil is hot, add mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Stir-fry for one minutes, adding a few drops water if pan appears dry. Add snow peas and stir-fry for 1 ½ minutes, adding a few drops more water if pan appears dry. Return chicken to pan. Stir cooking sauce, add to pan, and cook, stirring until sauce bubbles and thickens.
Variations: Cashew or Almond Chicken - first toast ½ c cashews or blanched almonds in 1 T salad oil over medium-low heat until golden; remove from pan and set aside. Stir in nuts just before serving.