Diced chicken in hot bean sauce

We are now in Sichuan, famous for its richly flavoured and piquant dishes. The chilli bean paste called for in his recipe can be substituted by crushed yellow bean paste mixed with chilli sauce.

1/2 lb (225 g) chicken meat
1 tsp salt
1/2 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tsp cornflour blended with a little cold water
1/2 lb (225 g) bamboo shoots
1-2 slices ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
2-3 spring onions, finely chopped
3-4 tbsp oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine or sherry
1 tbsp chilli bean paste

The chicken meat can be either breast or leg, or a mixture of both. Dice it into small cubes, mix with a pinch of salt, egg white and cornflour.

Dice the bamboo shoots, finely chop the ginger root and spring onions. Have all the seasonings and sauce at hand.

First stir-fry the chicken and bamboo shoots in warm oil for about 1 minute, then scoop them out with a perforated spoon. Heat the oil up again, stir-fry the spring onions and ginger root and add the chicken and bamboo shoots together with all the seasonings and sauce. Stir to make sure everything is well blended before serving. It should taste tender with a touch of hotness, an ideal starter.

© Deh-Ta Hsiung and reproduced with his kind permission.