Joanna Pruess offers the indispensable information about how to buy, store, and cook outstanding meals using ingredients found in today’s supermarket aisles, and more than 300 tried-and-trusted recipes. She includes recipes using prepared ingredients and a minimal number of ingredients, techniques for preparing meals ahead of time, and strategies for successful grocery shopping in the twenty-first century.
This is my children’s all-time favorite chicken dish. The combination of crunchy snow peas, water chestnuts, and cashews, along with mushrooms and chicken, in the gingery hoisin-soy sauce appeals to all of us. Cooks love this dish because it’s easy and quick to make in a wok or skillet. Serve with steamed or boiled rice to complete the meal. Change the ingredients to suit your own taste.
Sesame oil, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, and soy sauce are all in the Asian section of the market.
Servings: 6 to 8
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sherry
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons grated fresh gingerroot
1/2 pound snow peas, tips and strings removed, blanched for 30 seconds in boiling water
1/2 pound white mushrooms, trimmed, wiped, and sliced
1 cup thinly sliced scallions, including the green parts
Combine the sesame oil, vinegar, sherry, and garlic in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken and marinate for 1 hour.
In a wok or large, heavy skillet, heat the peanut oil over high heat until very hot. Transfer the chicken to the wok with a slotted spoon, reserving the marinade. Stir-fry the chicken until it is opaque on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Combine the cornstarch and soy sauce in a small bowl. Add it along with the marinade, hoisin sauce, sugar, and ginger to the wok and reduce the heat to medium-low.
Add the snow peas, water chestnuts, cashews, and mushrooms and continue cooking until the vegetables are warmed through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle on the scallions, toss to blend, cook 1 minute longer, then serve over cooked rice or Asian noodles, if desired.
