Sliced Chicken with Mushrooms

6 oz chicken breast
1½ tsp salt
1½ tbsp cornstarch
10 large dried mushrooms
1 small onion
2½ to 3 tbsp oil
1 slice ginger root
2-3 tbsp mushroom water
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dry sherry
2½ tbsp chicken stock
¼ tsp monosodium glutamate (MSG)
1½ tsp sugar

Cut the chicken meat thin into 1½ x 1-inch slices. Rub them with salt and dredge with cornstarch. Soak the mushrooms in 3/4 cup of warm water for 30 minutes. Retain the 2 to 3 tablespoons of the mushroom water at the end of this time. Chop the onion fine.
Heat a wok, and add the oil. Add the ginger and onion; stir-fry for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add the chicken slices, spreading them over the surface of the wok. Cook for 1½ minutes, turning twice. Remove the chicken slices and keep hot. Add the mushrooms to the pan and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the mushroom water and all the remaining ingredients, and turn the mushrooms in this mixture. Return the chicken to the pan and increase the heat to high. Stir-fry the chicken and mushrooms together for 1½ minutes; serve.
If Chinese dried mushrooms are unavailable, substitute a larger quantity of well-rinsed fresh mushrooms and two tablespoons of ordinary dried mushrooms.
Add an extra tablespoon of oil to the pan before stir-frying the mixed fresh and dried mushrooms, and cook them for 3 minutes before adding the other ingredients.
It is important to rinse the fresh mushrooms before using to remove their blackness; otherwise black will become the dominant color. Serves 4-6 with other dishes
 

Hoisin Sauce Chicken

8 oz fresh broccoli
2 medium yellow onions
1 red or green bell pepper
2 cans (4 oz) whole button mushrooms
1 broiler/fryer chicken
½ cup cornstarch
3 cups oil

2 tsp fresh ginger root, grated
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp dry sherry
3 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
4 tsp soy sauce
1/8 tsp white pepper

Wash broccoli and cut into 1-inch pieces. Peel and chop onions. Remove seeds and veins from bell pepper, chop pepper coarsely. Drain mushrooms. Remove giblets from chicken and reserve for another use. Rinse chicken and cut into bite size pieces. Coat chicken pieces with ½ cup cornstarch.
Heat oil in wok over high heat until it reaches 375 degrees F. Add chicken pieces, one at a time, to hot oil, (cook only 1/3 of the pieces at a time). Cook until golden and completely cooked, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining chicken. Remove all but 2 tbsp oil from wok. Stir-fry ginger in the oil over medium heat 1 minute. Add onion to ginger. Stir-fry over high heat 1 minute. Add broccoli, pepper and mushrooms. Stir-fry 2 minutes.
Combine stock and all remaining ingredients. Add to vegetable mixture. Cook and stir until liquid boils and becomes translucent. Return chicken to wok. Cook and stir until chicken is hot throughout, 2 minutes. Serves 6
 

Chicken Hung Doo

3-4 pound fryer chicken, cleaned chopped into 20-22 pieces
5 tbsp oil
Group 1
1 tbsp fresh ginger root, pared and shredded
3 dried chile peppers, crushed
¼ pound leeks, cut into 1½-inch pieces
2 tsp salt
1 sheet dried tangerine peel from a Chinese or Asian food store
Group 2
2½ tbsp soy sauce
1½ tbsp hoisin sauce
2½ tbsp dry sherry
½ cup chicken stock
2½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp monosodium glutamate (MSG)
2 tsp sesame oil

Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Place 4-6 heat proof dishes in oven.
Heat the oil in a wok, add the chicken pieces, stir-fry for 5 minutes, then drain, letting the oil drip back into the wok. Set aside. Remove all but 2 tablespoons oil, stir-fry * group 1 for 1½ minutes. Return chicken to the wok. Add * group 2. Turn the chicken in this mixture for 5-6 minutes over high heat, until liquid in the wok has become a thick sauce. Serve on a well heated dish. Sprinkle with sesame oil. Serves 4-6
 

Crackling Cantonese Chicken

3 to 4 pound fryer chicken
1 tbsp salt
2½ tbsp honey
2½ tbsp dry sherry
1 tbsp cornstarch
oil for deep frying

Clean the chicken inside and out. Immerse in a pan of boiling water for 3 to 4 seconds. Dry it with paper towels and hang it up to dry for 3 hours; then rub with salt and leave it in an airy place overnight. Mix the honey, sherry, and cornstarch into a paste and rub the chicken with this mixture, inside and out. Leave it to dry for a few hours or overnight. The chicken should be placed in a wire basket suspended above a deep frying pan containing hot oil ( I use a wok). To start, pour oil continually with a large ladle inside the chicken, (cooking from the inside out) when the chicken is almost done, pour the oil on the outside until it is evenly browned and crispy. This method is known as "Ling" or "splash-frying". This process takes about 15-20 minutes.
Chop the chicken into serving pieces or double-Mahjong pieces and serve on a well-heated dish. Or, slice off the crackling skin and serve it like Peking Duck in thin pancakes, accompanied with scallions, cucumber, and Plum Sauce.
Serves 4 - 6