Dragon & Phoenix In A Basket

Ingredients

• Main Ingredients
• 1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 11/2-inch lengths
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch diamonds
• 10 straw mushrooms
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 3 tbsp oyster-flavoured sauce
• 1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp water
• 1/4 cup Thai basil leaves
• 4 Edible baskets (See recipe below)
• Edible Basket
• Vegetable oil for deep-frying
• 1 medium potato or taro root, peeled and finely shredded (fresh egg noodles, cooked and drained, can also be used)
• 1 tsp cornstarch

Methods

1. Bring a large pan of water to a boil.
2. Add the asparagus to the boiling water. Cook for around 2 minutes until tender-crisp.
3. Drain the asparagus and set aside.Cut chicken into 1/2-inch cubes.
4. Combine the soy sauce, wine and pepper in a bowl.
5. Add chicken to the marinade and stir to coat.
6. Set the chicken aside and let it marinade for 15 minutes.
7. Place a wok over high heat until hot.
8. Add oil to the wok and swirl to coat the sides of the wok.
9. Add garlic and cook, stirring for about 10 seconds until fragrant.
10. Add the chicken, red bell pepper, mushrooms and green onions. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
11. Add broth and oyster-flavoured sauce to the wok and bring to a boil.
12. Add the cornstarch solution and stir until sauce boils and thickens.
13. Add asparagus and basil and toss to mix.
14. Spoon chicken mixture into basket.
15. Edible Basket
16. In a wok, heat cooking oil for deep-frying to 180ºC.
17. Rinse shredded potato under cold running water and squeeze well to remove as much moisture as possible.
18. At dry with paper towels, the toss dried potato with one teaspoon cornstarch.
19. Dip strainers into the hot oil to coat them.
20. Line one strainer with potato to a thickness of about ?-inch.
21. Press the second strainer on top of potato shreds and immerse strainers in oil.
22. Deep-fry until golden brown.
23. Remove potato basket from strainers and drain on paper towels.
24. Fill basket with cooked food and serve immediately.