Fireball Chicken

Very spicy dish and is not for chile pepper lightweights. Serve with lots of steamed white rice. Serves 3-4.

1 lb boneless chicken breast, sliced into shreds (1/4-inch thick, 2-inch long)
1 1/2 cup shredded bamboo shoots (matchstick-like pieces; available canned.)
1 carrot, peeled, and cut into thin match-stick-size pieces
3 tablespoons grated ginger
1 teaspoon (or more) crushed red chile peppers
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1 cup peanut oil

Thickener:
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 5 tablespoons water

Marinade:
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Sauce:
3 tablespoons chili paste with garlic (or add 1 teaspoon minced garlic to sambal olek)
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/3 cup chicken broth or stock
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Combine marinade ingredients; add chicken and set aside. Mix sauce ingredients and set aside in a cup or small bowl. Prepare bamboo shoots, carrot, gingerroot, and crushed chile pepper; place vegetables in a bowl. Mix thickener and have on hand; also have sesame oil on hand.

Heat peanut oil in wok until smoking hot. With a long, large cooking chopsticks add the chicken to the hot oil and begin stirring it immediately to try to keep it from sticking together. Keep at it until chicken pieces are separate and have turned light brown (about 1 minute). If chicken doesn't brown, that's OK. Just make sure it is white on the outside; it needn't be cooked all the way through. Remove chicken from oil and set aside.

Leave just 3 tablespoons oil in the wok. Reheat and, once oil begins to smoke, add the vegetables (bamboo shoots, carrots, gingerroot, and crushed red chile peppers). Stir-fry for 1 minute then add sauce mixture. Continue stir-frying for another minute. Return chicken to the wok and cook for 1 minute. Add just enough of the thickening mixture to barely thicken the dish. Add the sesame oil, toss, and serve.