If you haven’t been to China Moon in San Francisco, go the next time you are there. It is owned and operated by Barbara Tropp. I loved the restaurant before we lived there and ate there a few times after moving. San Francisco is one of those towns that you say so many places to eat and so few days to do it. I have their cookbook. Not the easiest cooking you will ever do, but definitely the most tastefully rewarding. This dish was like sweet, sour and hot all in one. I served it over rice. I did all the chopping early in the day when I marinated the chicken.


Stir-Fried Spicy Chicken with Orange Zest and Crispy Cashews

Velvet Marinade and Chicken:

1 large egg white

1T Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1t kosher salt

1T cornstarch

1# boneless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes

I cut up the chicken and placed in a plastic bag. I mixed the other ingredients and poured over the chicken; placed in the refrigerator. Mine marinated for about 6 hours. You can do this from 3 to 24 hours.

Aromatics:

1T finely minced fresh ginger

1T finely minced garlic

1T thinly sliced green and white scallion rings

¼ dried red chili flakes (remember mine are really hot, add more if yours are store purchased)

Grated zest of 1 orange.

I am going to assume that you all have a metal raspier by now that makes this part a breeze.

Sauce:

1 ½ C chicken stock

2T hoisin sauce

2 t dry sherry or rice wine

2 t soy sauce

2T freshly squeezed orange juice from the orange you zested

1T balsamic vinegar

1T cider vinegar

All of these vegetables I chopped and put in plastic bags

1 small broccoli cap

Baby corn in a can cut in half

1 small yellow onion cut in ¾ inch cubes

1 red pepper cut in cubes

½ head of Napa Cabbage cut in cubes

1Fresno chili cut in paper-thin rings, seeds removed

½ yellow wax chili cut in paper thin rings, seeds removed

To start the cooking process you can do this before or now. I did it all while doing the finish. I really made a mess and I really should have baked the cashews ahead of time as they were too brown.

So, first bake 1/3 cup cashews in a 350 degree oven for less than 20 minutes.

Put on a pot of boiling water and blanch the broccoli for a minute and the corn for another minute. Cool immediately in ice water and drain. Then add the chicken to the simmering water and cook for another minute. Drain it also.

Next, heat 2T of peanut oil in your wok. When hot add the Aromatics for 30 seconds. Be careful, it really pops. Next add the onion and bell pepper and stir fry for 3 minutes.

Next in the pot is the baby corn for a minute, followed by the cabbage, broccoli and chilies. Toss for a minute and add the sauce. Raise the heat and cover to bring the liquid to a boil. Add 1T of cornstarch that has been mixed with 1T chicken stock. Stir to thicken and add the chicken. Toss for 30 seconds and serve over rice. Garnish with the cashews.

We had a 2005 Beaulieu Vineyard Zinfandel which took the heat of the chilies and complemented all the flavors in the stir fry.

It actually took me less time to type this than it did for Jim to clean up.