A recipe that highlights the versatility of the wok as a deep fry and stir fry pan. As a safety feature when using the wok to deep fry, always have the lid nearby! There is a possibility of a wok or any other vessel that has hot oil in it to ignite. Quickly putting on the lid will snuff the flames out. NEVER try to put out an oil fire with water!- Boned chicken breast or thigh meat cut into strips
- flour
- beer
- 1 green bell pepper cut in thin strips
- 1 red bell pepper cut in thin strips
- 1 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
- 1 stalk celery, sliced diagonally
- 3 green onions cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1-tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup chicken stock
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying
There needs to be room for displacement when the food to be cooked is added, so fill the wok less than half way with oil. Heat to 350 degrees.
Put enough flour for the amount of chicken to be cooked into a large bowl. Slowly add enough beer, (preferably room temperature, even better if it's been opened for a few days and has turned stale) stirring constantly until a smooth batter forms, about the consistency of thin pancake batter. Set aside. Put one cup of flour into a plastic or paper sack. Add chicken to flour in bag and shake to coat. This is done to help the batter stick to the chicken. Remove chicken from bag of flour and dredge into batter mixture. Let excess drip off. CAREFULLY put into hot oil in wok. Turn food over occasionally while cooking. Chicken strips take less time to cook than pieces with the bone still in. When pieces float and have a nice color, remove a piece of it and test for doneness. When done, drain on rack or paper towel, set aside.
Combine soy sauce, chicken stock and cornstarch. Stir until blended, set aside.
Carefully pour out all but two tablespoons of the oil from wok. When oil is hot, stir fry all the vegetables for 2 minutes. Add the cooked chicken; stir-fry with vegetables for 1 minute. Add corn starch/broth/soy sauce mixture and cook until sauce thickens. Serve over rice or oriental noodles.
