Ingredients
1/2 lb boneless chicken breasts skinned
1 egg white
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 lb water chestnuts, fresh or canned (, drained weight)
1/2 cup peanut oil
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp chili bean sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp rice wine or dry sherry
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sesame oil
Directions
CUT THE CHICKEN into 1/2-inch cubes. Combine it with the egg white,
salt and cornstarch in a small bowl and put the mixture into the
refrigerator for about 20 minutes. If you are using fresh water
chestnuts, peel them. If you are using canned water chestnuts, drain
them well and rinse in cold water. Coarsely chop the water chestnuts.
Heat a wok or large saute pan until it is hot and add the oil. When
it is moderately hot, add the chicken cubes and stir to keep them
from sticking. When the chicken pieces turn white, about 2 minutes,
quickly drain the chicken and all the oil into a stainless steel
colander set in a bowl. Clean the wok and reheat. Return 2
tablespoons of oil to the wok, add the garlic and ginger, and
stir-fry for 30 seconds. Then add the water chestnuts, chili bean
sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, sugar and salt and continue to stir-fry
for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the wok and continue to cook for
another 2 minutes. Add the sesame oil, give the mixture a final stir,
and serve at once.
KEN HOM
PRODIGY GUEST CHEFS COOKBOOK
Servings: 4 servings
Chicken With Water Chestnuts Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Chicken; Nut; Poultry
The History of Recipes
Recipes as a concept can be observed way back into history, at least as far as ancient Egypt, and possibly even further than that. However, mostly, these ancient recipes were just very basic pictorial instructions for preparing food.
Fascinatingly, the oldest recipe in existence, according to experts are a few ancient tablets in ancient Sumerian which show the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who tried it feel `blissful`. Progressing into The time of the roman empire around 25BC a roman called Apicius compiled a collection of documents describing recipes enjoyed by wealthy roman citizens. In his scrolls, Apicius describes how the roman meals were split into hors d`oeuvre, main course and afters, something we still use today. Additionally, he tells us how the early Romans were skilled in the use of many spices and herbs, including some that we all recognise like bay, rue and asafoetida. In the 15th century, knights returning from the crusades brought back many foods and herbs from Arab cooking, such as rosemary and coriander. These new herbs and spices prompted an increase in manuscripts on cooking, most of which are now in academic collections. Over the following few centuries, the upper-class families of the West competed with each other to serve up the most exotic meals, and as a consequence, cooks and their recipe collections became highly prized. Even so, it wasn`t until the nineteenth century that cooking and recipe books became popular. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, spent years to collating, testing, and writing down recipes to help cooks of their time. The arrival of TV brings us cooking programs and the recipe books that accompanied them. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting everybody to access massive numbers of recipes like the ones you can find on this site. |
We hope you enjoy this Chicken With Water Chestnuts recipe.
