Ingredients
- 6 cups celery (about 14-18 large stalks)
- ⅔ cup button mushrooms
- ½ cup bamboo tips
- ⅔ cup whole water chestnuts
- 1 pound white and dark meat chicken, skin and bones removed
- Dice each ingredient above into pieces about ½-inch square and ⅓-inch thick and set aside on separate plates.
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon rendered chicken fat
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1½ tablespoons cornstrach
- 1½ tablespoons water
- 5-6 egg crepe strips
- deep-fried egg noodles
- steamed white rice
Instructions
- Blanch the celery in a large pot of boiling water. Let the water return to a boil and cook until celery color begins to deepen, about one minute. Remove celery from water and plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and refresh the color. The celery will have a sweeter flavor than raw celery.
- Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until hot and coat with the vegetable oil and then the chicken fat; add the garlic. Quickly stir-fry the garlic to flavor the oil, about 10 seconds, then add the chicken pieces and quickly stir-fry for 1 minute, until the chicken begins to color.
- Add the blanched celery and mix with the chicken; then add the mushrooms, bamboo tips, and water chestnuts. Mix together and add the chicken stock. Quickly bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes, until the celery is tender.
- Push the ingredients to the edge of the pan, leaving a pool of broth in the middle. Mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl, then slowly add it to the liquid, stirring until it begins to thicken, about a minute. Then mix the thickened sauce into the rest of the ingredients and stir-fry until the sauce becomes clear and coats all of the ingredients. Remove from heat.
- Serve on a plate over deep-fried egg noodles and top with egg crepe strips. Garnish with a scoop of steamed white rice at the side.
