blue artichoke

After the rather large and heavy meals we've had recently as part of this Wandering Gullet project, I decided to do something fast, easy and light. Chicken stir-fry. This recipe comes from Shandong (aka Shantung), a coastal province in eastern China. It was really easy to make, with minimal prep work. And it tasted really good. Gentleman Caller said it tasted like something you'd get from a good Chinese restaurant.

I have a super awesome Le Creuset wok that I don't use often enough. Sometimes I forget about it. Other times I think it'll be easier just to use a skillet. But the real reason I don't use it often is that I don't know how to. It's heavy, so I can't flip food around in it as easily as I can in a skillet. It's also cast iron, which I haven't really learned to use yet. I've got several old cast iron skillets, pilfered from my grandmother's kitchen, and a new one that came with the wok as a wedding present. I'd love to use them more often, so a winter project or New Year's resolution will be to learn how. And practice.

For dessert, we had store-bought fortune cookies. Why don't fortune cookies actually tell a fortune? Are the manufacturers afraid of a lawsuit when one of their fortunes fails to come true? I think they could cover themselves by printing fortunes such as "You will come into great wealth." If a person sues, the resulting settlement will surely count as great wealth, thus negating the terms of the lawsuit. We got sucky "fortunes," such as "The only way to have a friend is to be one" and "Have respect for yourself, and others will too." Boo! These didn't even have lucky numbers on the back, to which we could attach great significance. We did get one that could actually be a fortune: Accept the next proposition you hear. That sounds rather risky to me. I'm propositioned all the time, and rarely think it's a good idea to accept. Had I followed that fortune, I'd be a Jehovah's Witness right now!

Shantung Chicken

I used low sodium soy sauce, subbed some dry red wine for the sherry, subbed some ginger powder for the gingerroot (I forgot I had some pickled ginger in the fridge, oops), and omitted the sesame seeds because I thought I had some, but didn't. The next time I make this, I think I'll add some sliced button mushrooms along with the bean sprouts and white parts of the green onions.

1 whole chicken breast, skinned and boned
2 T. cornstarch, divided
3 T. soy sauce, divided
1 T. dry sherry
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c. water
3 T. veggie oil, divided
½ # fresh bean sprouts
¼ # green onions and tops, cut into 1 ½” lengths, separating whites from tops
1 T. slivered fresh ginger root
1 T. sesame seed, toasted
Hot cooked noodles (lo mein)

Cut chicken into narrow strips. Combine 1 T. each cornstarch and soy sauce with sherry and garlic in small bowl; stir in chicken. Let stand 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend water, remaining 1 T. cornstarch and 2 T. soy sauce; set aside.

Heat 1 T. oil in hot wok or large skillet over high heat. Add chicken and stir-fry 2 minutes; remove. Heat remaining 2 T. oil in same pan; add bean sprouts, white parts of green onions and ginger; stir-fry 3 minutes. Stir in chicken, soy sauce mixture, green onion tops and sesame seed. Cook and stir until mixture boils and thickens. Serve immediately over noodles.

Serves 4.