Chili Oil Bean Curd Cloud Ear Long Bean Chicken (紅油腐乳雲耳豆角鷄, Hung4 Jau4 Fu6 Jyu5 Wan4 Ji5 Dau6 Gok3 Gai1)

Fermented bean curd is the basis for the sauce for this dish. I used a fermented bean curd with chili, but a regular version can be substituted if you prefer the dish without any spiciness. The quantity (i.e. the number of cakes) to use is a personal preference, so feel free to increase or decrease the amount used. Fresh cloud ear fungus is available at your local Asian market. If fresh is not available, dried can be substituted. Just remember that dried cloud ear fungus expands greatly once rehydrated, so use a smaller amount of the dried than fresh.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ lb.	375 g.	Chicken thigh (鷄髀, gai1 bei2) or breast meat (雞胸肉, gai1 hung1 juk6), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Baking soda (蘇打粉, sou1 daa2 fan2)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
1 lb.	500 g.	Long beans (豆角, dau6 gok3), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
2	2	Dried bean curd sticks (腐竹, fu6 zuk1), rehydrated and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
6 oz.	170 g.	One package fresh whole cloud ear fungus (雲耳, wan4 ji5)
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces on the diagonal
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
		Oil for cooking

Sauce Ingredients

2-4	2-4	Cakes Laoganma brand Chili Oil Bean Curd (紅油腐乳, hung4 jau4 fu6 jyu5) or equivalent
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
2 tsp.	10 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
4 tsp.	20 ml.	Water

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

Preparation Instructions

Laoganma Brand Chili Oil Bean Curd
(紅油腐乳, hung4 jau4 fu6 jyu5)

1. Prepare the chicken thigh or breast meat by removing any bones, excess fat, and skin. Cut the chicken into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces. Wet with water and add baking soda to the chicken, allow to tenderize for 15 minutes, and then wash the baking soda from the meat. The baking soda can be omitted but results in the tender meat experienced in restaurant dishes.
2. Marinate the chicken in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the chicken overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
3. Pour boiling water over the dried bean curd sticks in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the bean curd sticks for at least one hour. Remove the bean curd sticks mushrooms from the rehydration liquid and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces. Discard the rehydration liquid.
4. Wash the fresh whole cloud ear fungus and remove any hard parts. If fresh cloud ear fungus is not available, dried may be substituted. Use a smaller amount of dried cloud ear fungus since it will greatly expand once hydrated.
5. Wash and cut the long beans into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
6. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
7. Wash and cut the green onions into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces on the diagonal.
8. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the Laoganma brand Chili Oil Bean Curd or equivalent, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil. Add the chicken pieces to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside. You may have to cook the chicken in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the chicken to a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the cloud ear fungus. Stir fry the fungus and then transfer to the bowl with the chicken.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the bean curd sticks. Stir fry the bean curd sticks and then transfer to the bowl with the chicken.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the long beans. Stir fry to brown the long beans. Add the bowl with the ginger and garlic mixture to the wok, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic become fragrant. Add the green onions and the contents of the bowl with the chicken back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together.
5. Add the sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. If more sauce is desired, add some liquid (stock or water) to the wok. Add the corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce and mix all the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.