Recipe - Steamed Deep-Fried Chicken Wnutmeats

1 Spring chicken
1 cup Stock
One half cup Almond meats
1 Egg
One half cup Flour
One half teaspoon Salt
Oil for deepfrying
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
2 tablespoon Water
2 tablespoon Soy sauce
1 tablespoon Honey
One half cup Water

1. Wipe chicken with a damp cloth. With a sharp knife, make an incision
along backbone, but do not cut through bone. Place bird in a heatproof bowl
and add stock.

2. Steam 30 minutes. (See "Howto Section"). Meanwhile blanch almonds and
chop coarsely.

3. Let bird cool slightly; then bone. Beat egg lightly and blend in flour
and salt to make a batter; then coat chicken with batter.

4. Heat oil until nearly smoking. Gently lower in chicken, using a wire
basket or large longhandled Chinese strainer. Deepfry, basting and
turning until golden. Drain on paper toweling.

5. Let bird cool slightly. Carefully cut in 11/2inch strips (running from
backbone to breastbone), then in 11/2inch squares. Arrange, skinside up,
on a serving platter.

6. In a cup, blend cornstarch and cold water to a paste. In a saucepan,
combine soy sauce, honey and remaining water, and heat, stirring. Then add
cornstarch paste and stir in to thicken. Pour over chicken. Garnish with
nutmeats and serve. VARIATION: For the almonds, substitute walnuts or
pecans, or use all 3 in combination.

From The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook, ISBN 0517658704. Downloaded
from Glen's MM Recipe Archive, http://www.erols.com/hosey.