Chinese Chicken, Cabbage and Peanuts

All the world loves Chinese food, except for my sister who lived in Shanghai for 4 years where she ate the real thing. Well at least all the world loves adapting Chinese food! Even in Jordan, some of our favorite restaurants were Taiwan Turismo or China King, until we consistently found "slug" listed as one of the ingredients in most of the dishes.

A Chinese cooking class I took years ago, demonstrated the following recipe and I was thrilled - finally a Chinese dish made at home that tasted as good as Chinese take-out! The secret is in the process (velvetizing) and the use of a couple of ingredients that most of us don't commonly keep in our condiment collection. One is the Hoisin sauce, a thick sweet and tangy sauce made from soybean and the other the sesame oil. The sesame oil can elevate any Chinese dish to more authentic flavor - but be careful, a little goes a long way. Most recipes don't call for more than a couple of teaspoons.

Not only is this dish delicious, tangy yet sweet, with tender chicken and the crunch of the stir-fried cabbage, green onions and nuts, but it is easy and quick! Chopping of ingredients ahead of time, and preparing the seasoning sauce even days ahead, can cut done on the final prep time.

Give this one a try - your family is sure to love it, and it's great for company and never fails to impress. I've never met anyone who didn't like it, except for my sister. But she has too many memories of gnawing on tough slugs! Serves 8.

chinese chicken and cabbage with peanuts

4 chicken breasts, skinned boned and cut into 1 inch pieces

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons white wine or Mirin wine

1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2/3 cups coarsely chopped peanuts (or cashews or almonds)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 green onions, cut in into 1/2 inch lengths, white and greens

3 cups roughly chopped green cabbage

oil for frying

SEASONING SAUCE:

• 4 tablespoons sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 5 tablespoons rice or wine vinegar

• 4 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• dash of red pepper or szechaun pepper (to taste)

• 1 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

      -Mix seasoning sauce and set aside.  Add half of the sliced green onions. Place diced chicken in a bowl.  Add soy sauce, wine, cornstarch, sesame oil and mix well.  Marinate for 20 minutes.  Add 1 tablespoon oil.  Heat 1 cup oil in medium skillet and fry chicken in batches until opaque then    remove and drain in a colander set over a mixing bowl, to catch the drippings.  Repeat with the remaining chicken.

      -In a wok or large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil.  Stir fry cabbage for 2-3 minutes stirring frequently.  Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Transfer cabbage to a serving platter.

       -Heat the wok again and add chicken and drippings.  Add the seasoning sauce and stir-fry until chicken is well coated with the sauce.  Add 1/2 cup peanuts and stir.  Spoon on top of cabbage.  Garnish with reserved green onions and chopped peanuts.

Stir chicken with sauce until well coated.

Stir-fry cabbage 2 - 3 minutes over medium-high heat.

A tangy, sweet dish, with tender chicken chunks and crunchy onions and peanuts.

PERSNICKETY NOTES:
**This recipe is equally delicious with cashews or almonds.

**Don't cook the chicken until it is brown, just until it is opaque. This process of marinating briefly in the cornstarch mixture and then frying in oil in batches is called "velvetizing" the chicken. It makes the chicken very tender and allows it to hold in the moisture and seasonings from the marinade. Don't cook the chicken in the oil until it is browned, but just until opaque or you will sacrifice the tender, silky texture. Let the sauce provide the color.

**Likewise, don't over saute the cabbage. It should still have a crunch to it and have a bright green color.

**You can find Hoisin sauce, Mirin and sesame oil in the Asian section of most grocery stores.