Chinese tofu recipe

How to Prepare / Make / Cook - ?Chinese tofu recipe

Nuts appear frequently in Chinese cooking in desserts, fillings, sweet soups, and stir-fry dishes. The almonds offer a crunchy contrast to the chicken and vegetables. In this dish, all the ingredients should be diced to about the size of whole almonds.

1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into ½ inch dice (about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 tablespoons canola, corn, or peanut oil
1 slice unpeeled gingerroot, 1 X 1/8 inch
½ cup canned bamboo shoots, drained and diced
½ cup canned whole water chestnuts, drained and quartered
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded, cored, and diced
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded, cored, and diced
½ cup whole almonds, blanched or natural, toasted

1. Place the chicken in a bowl. Add the cornstarch, sherry, and salt and stir to coat the chicken thoroughly. Set aside.

2. Pour the oil into a wok or stir-fry pan and place over high heat. Add the gingerroot and stir it around until the oil is hot; the gingerroot will sizzle. Stir the chicken up again and pour into the pan. Stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the chicken pieces are separated and almost cooked.

3. Add the bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and peppers. Stir well for 1 minute, or until the peppers are tender-crisp. Add the almonds and mix thoroughly. Remove and discard the gingerroot, if desired. Serve immediately.

Variation To give the dish a slightly sweet taste, add 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons hoisin sauce when adding the vegetables and reduce the salt to ½ teaspoon