Diced Chicken with Walnuts (桃仁雞丁)

To kick off the summer, we're taking on another recipe from Pei Mei's Chinese Cook Book. This one is adapted from one I found in the Southern China section of volume I. The Chinese name taoren jiding translates to "walnut diced chicken." Interestingly, this recipe bears a striking resemblance to what most Americans picture as Chinese food. American-Chinese cuisine evolved specifically from Cantonese cooking, and this dish is a clear predecessor. Some combination of meat, vegetables, and nuts stir fried together in a sauce is a formula that comes up again and again. Years ago, even I threw together a cashew chicken recipe that's not all that different to this. 

I made a few changes from Pei Mei's original. As with so many of her dishes, she deep fries the chicken. I decided to streamline the process by stir frying the chicken instead, avoiding the hassle of cleaning up so much oil. I might try it that way in the future. She also recommends using hot peppers, while I used bell peppers. Some or all of those can be substituted for something spicier if you so choose. I chose to not salt the sauce ahead of time. You can always add salt at the end if you want to, and I added a few pinches. It's also worth mentioning she approves of cashews a substitute for the walnuts. 

This dish came out well. In the past, I've typically minced ginger, but I liked the bursts of ginger here from the larger slices. I might put in a little more next time. The flavor profile is pretty classic. A little more sugar would likely tilt it in American-Chinese direction, if you're into that. There's also plenty of leeway in the choice of chicken. Pei Mei suggests either deboning an entire (small) chicken or using breasts. I used thighs here. I served with steamed rice to complete the meal.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb. boneless chicken meat
• 1 cup walnut halves or pieces
• 1 red bell pepper (choose a hotter pepper if desired)
• 1 green bell pepper
• 15 thin slices fresh ginger
• 4 green onions
• Vegetable oil
• Salt to taste

Marinade

• 1 egg white
• 1 1/2 Tbs. corn starch
• 1 1/2 Tbs. light soy sauce

Sauce

• 3 Tbs. light soy sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbs. Shaoxing wine
• 1 Tbs. black vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp. corn starch
• 1 1/2 tsp. sugar

Instructions

Cut the chicken into small pieces, about 1/2 inch on each side. In a large bowl for the marinade, mix the corn starch with a splash of water into a slurry. Add the egg white, soy sauce, and chicken. Mix well to coat and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

While the chicken marinates, halve the peppers, remove seeds and ribs, and dice into pieces of similar size to the chicken. Slice the ginger. Cut the green onions into half-inch lengths. Mix the sauce together in a bowl. Toast the walnuts (I used the toaster oven), being careful not to burn them.

Stir fry the chicken in 3-4 batches. Set a wok over high heat. Swirl some vegetable oil around and drop in the chicken. Stir fry each batch a few minutes until lightly browned. Add oil between batches as needed. Set chicken aside and clean out the pan when done.

Heat the wok over high heat, swirl some more oil, and add the pepper and ginger. Stir fry a few minutes, until the peppers start to soften. Stir up the sauce and pour into the wok. Stir together and turn the heat down. Return the chicken and toss together a few more minutes. Add the walnuts and green onions. Toss together and salt to taste.