Hong Shu Gai Kew

Ingredients

Basic chicken Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (white or dark meat, your preference)
• 4 ounces peanut oil, for frying

Vegetables

• 6 ounces fresh snow peas, with both ends trimmed, and side veins removed
• 16 ounces straw mushrooms, drained
• 8 ounces sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 4 ounces thinly sliced fresh carrots
• 4 ounces fresh bok choy, stems (the white, stalky part at the bottom of the bunch)

Sauce

• 14 1/2 ounces chicken broth
• 1/4 cup of white sake
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Accent seasoning (optional, since some people are allergic to MSG, but I like it)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2-4 tablespoons cornstarch (to make sauce to your own thickness preference)

Chicken marinade

• 2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 4 tablespoons sherry wine
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, preferably fresh, but bottled will do

Chicken batter

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon oil

Directions

1. 1

   Thaw the boneless chicken about halfway, then cut into bite-sized chunks (It’s easier to cut, when the meat is halfway frozen); place in bowl and let chicken thaw completely.

2. 2

   Combine the marinade ingredients of the honey, lime juice, ginger root, soy sauce and garlic, then pour over the chicken and mix thoroughly. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

3. 3

   For the chicken batter, mix all ingredients (flour, cornstarch, baking powder, eggs, water and oil) together. Let stand for 10-15 minutes Then dip your chicken pieces in the batter.

4. 4

   Fry the battered chicken pieces in pre-heated peanut oil (about 1/2 inch of peanut oil), in a wok set on med-high temp, at about 375 degrees. Do not fry too many pieces all at once, or the chicken will stick together. About six-to-eight pieces at a time, works best.

5. 5

   Place fried chicken bites in a non-corrosive plastic container with a few layers of paper towels underneath them to absorb the oil. Do NOT cover the fried chicken pieces! If you do, this will make your chicken turn soft, and take away the crispiness.

6. 6

   Mix all sauce ingredients from above, except the sesame oil, in a bowl. Beat it with a fork until all of the cornstarch has dissolved thoroughly into the mix. Then set aside on the kitchen counter for now.

7. 7

   Now rinse and dry your wok, and place all vegetables in the wok, one at a time, in the following specific order:.

8. 8

   First, add the 1 T of sesame oil to the wok and set heat on medium. Now add the pea pods and stir-fry for about three minutes while gently stirring in about half of the sauce. Then add the drained water chestnuts, carrots and sliced bok choy stems and cook two-to-three more minutes. Then add the straw mushrooms while adding in the remaining sauce mixture, and cook another three minutes. (total cook time, 9-10 minutes).

9. 9

   Reduce your wok heat to low and add fried chicken pieces to top of wok ingredients. Continue to cook in wok another 5 mins, and then you are done. Do NOT cover the wok, in order to keep the chicken and vegetables from becoming too soft or over-cooked.

10. 10

    You are now done! (Pat yourself on the back.) Serve the dish with steamed rice if desired. Hong Shu Gai Kew is best served with hot tea or a glass of white wine, (In my humble opinion, at least.) Provide a bottle of soy sauce on the table, for those who like the dish or their rice with a kick of extra soy flavor.