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Ingredients: Eight dried black Chinese mushrooms Ten fresh water chestnuts OR one medium carrot, diced One red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced Two green onions Three chicken thighs 2 teaspoons dry sherry 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger 1 tablespoon plus 1/2-teaspoon cornstarch (divided) Peanut oil 1/2 pound raw shrimp Three heads of iceberg lettuce Two ounces rice sticks Sauce (see recipe below) 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted Directions: To make wraps, soak dried mushrooms in hot water until soft, about 20 minutes. Discard stems and dice caps. Combine with water chestnuts, red pepper and green onions. Refrigerate until ready to cook. Cut meat from chicken thighs. Chop meat coarsely, then add sherry, soy sauce, ginger, 1/2-teaspoon cornstarch and 1/2-teaspoon peanut oil. Mix well. Shell and remove veins from shrimp. Cut shrimp crosswise into very thin slices. Mix with chicken mixture and refrigerate until ready to cook. Cut top third off each head of lettuce. Carefully separate leaves of tops; you should end up with about 18 round cups, about three to five inches across. Reserve rest of lettuce for salads. Cook rice sticks in three batches in 1/2-inch of hot peanut oil in a 10-inch skillet or wok over medium-high heat, until rice sticks puff up and expand, about five seconds. Turn rice sticks over with chopsticks or tongs. Cook five seconds more. Drain on paper towels. Place cooked rice sticks in a paper bag and store at room temperature. Prepare sauce. Combine remaining one-tablespoon cornstarch with an equal amount of cold water; set aside. With your hands, break rice sticks into small pieces. Spread in an even layer on serving platter. Place wok over high heat. When wok becomes very hot, add two tablespoons peanut oil to center. Roll oil around sides of wok. When oil just begins to smoke, add chicken and shrimp mixture. Stir-fry until shrimp turn white, about two minutes. Immediately add vegetables and stir-fry until vegetables brighten in color, about one minute. Add pine nuts and sauce. When sauce comes to low boil, stirs in a little of cornstarch mixture so sauce glazes food. Pour out onto rice sticks. Serve at once with lettuce cups. Each diner puts some of the filling in a lettuce cup, then gently cups edges up. Recipe makes two entrée or six to eight appetizer servings. Sauce: Ingredients: 2 tablespoons dry sherry 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 1 tablespoon Oriental sesame oil 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon Chinese Chile sauce Directions: In a small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients, mixing well; set aside. |