Recipe - Hot And Sour Garlic Chive Soup With Tofu

Chicken & Marinade
Three fourths pound Skinless boneless chicken
breast, (see note)
1 lg Egg white
1 tablespoon Rice wine or quality dry
sherry
1 teaspoon Coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon Cornstarch

VEGETABLES
Three fourths pound Firm young zucchini; trimmed
(Three fourths to 1)
One half pound Carrots; trimmed & peeled

AROMATICS
1 Walnutsize nugget fresh
ginger
4 Cloves garlic (large);
lightly smashed and peeled
(4 to 5)
2 tablespoon Chinese salted black beans
Three fourths teaspoon Dried red chili flakes
4 tablespoon Oil; for stirfrying

LIQUID SEASONINGS
One half cup Unsalted chicken stock
2 tablespoon Thin (regular) soy sauce; (2
to 3)
2 tablespoon Rice wine or quality dry
sherry
2 One half tablespoon White vinegar
One fourth teaspoon Sugar

VELVETING THE CHICKEN
3 cup Corn or peanut oil (3 to 4);
OR
4 cup Water; PLUS
2 teaspoon Corn or peanut oil

BINDER
1 tablespoon Cornstarch dissolved in
1 One half tablespoon Cold chicken stock

Note: Chicken s/b carefully trimmed of membranes, cartilage & fat. If
starting with skinon bonein chicken breast you need a 1 pound 6 to 8 oz.
breast to equal the Three fourths lb. cleaned meat.

Slicing & marinating the chicken: Spread meat flat on a cutting surface &
cut it into 1inch squares. Holding your knife parellel to the board, cut
the thickest squares in half through the middle so that the pieces are of a
relatively even thickness and will cook to doneness at the same time. Blend
chicken marinade ingredients until smooth & thick in the work bowl of a
food processor fitted with the steel balde or in a blender. Process for a
full 3060 seconds to achieve a rich consistency. Combine the chicken &
marinade in a small bowl, stirring with your fingers to coat & separate
each slice. Seal airtight and refrigerate for 68 hours or up to 1 1/2
days, to permit the chicken to absorb the marinade. The longer it
marinates, the more tender & flavorful it will be.

Other preparations: Slice zucchini into 1/4inch thick rounds. Slice
carrots into diagonal coins 1/8inch thick. Sliced, the vegetables may be
sealed & refrigerated in an airtight plastic bag for several hours before
stirfrying.

Mince ginger and garlic in the dry work bowl of a food processor fitted
with the steel knife. Add the black beans, then process with one or two
onoff turns to chop them coarsely. Alternatively, mince & chop the
ingredients by hand. Set aside on a small saucer with the chili flakes
(chili flakes on the side). If you are working in advance, seal the saucer
airtight and refrigerate.

Combine the stock, soy, wine, vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. This may
be done hours ahead & the liquids left at room temp. or refrigerated.

Velveting the chicken: About 1015 minutes in advance of serving, velvet
the chicken in water or oil. Directions for both follow, here also are
Barbara Tropp's notes re. velveting (why bother & differences in results
using each method):

Blanching cut & specially marinated chicken in oil or water prior to
stirfrying is a technique common to Chinese restaurant kitchens. The
20second bath tenderizes the chicken remarkably, hence the process has
been dubbed "velveting" in English. Velveted chicken is halfcooked, will
not stick to the pan, and needs almost no oil whn stirfried. Therefore the
resulting dish is greasefree and done in a flash. It is an absolutely
distinctive & practical method, well worth adapting at home. Oilvelveted
chicken is firm & plush; watervelveted chicken is soft & bouncy. The oil
texture has great character, while the water process is attractively easy &
clean. Choose the one that suits you best. ADDITIONAL CAVEAT FROM BT: You
MUST use fresh (not frozen) chicken for velveting. Frozen chicken will not
work. The plush texture that is the signal beauty of velveting cannot be
had with chicken that has been frozen.

Velveting in oil: Have the chicken, a large chinese mesh spoon or large
heatproof strainer to retrieve the chicken from the oil, and a bowl in
which the spoon or sieve can rest & allow the chicken to drain alongside
your stovetop. Heat a wok or deep, heavy skillet over high heat until hot.
Add the oil & heat to the slowfry stage, 275 degrees F. on a deepfry

continued in part 2