Chicken Almond Ding

When I was a kid we used to go to Sea Dragon for dinner at least a couple times a month.

I always got Green Pepper Beef with an egg roll. Sea Dragon had better egg rolls than Wanna's, but Wanna's had the best wontons. My dad always got subgum sizzling rice extra hot. I remember my sisters being very fond of almond chicken ding. My wife remembers getting that at Sea Dragon as well, so I decided to do a little research and come up with my own version.

On the subject of Chinese food, I've eaten Chinese food all over the country. Several places stand out including the Chinatowns in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. We found a really good Chinese place above Miss Kitty's in Deadwood of all places. It had pretty good food and a really nice decor.
It really hit the spot because we had been out stomping around the Badlands all day. Here is a photo I took after hiking/climbing for about an hour.
So if you are ever really hungry for Chinese food and you're near Deadwood, stop by the Chinatown Cafe, on Main Street above Ms. Kitty's Casino.

Chicken Almond Ding

chicken:
1 pound chicken, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 egg white
3 T corn starch
3 T water

Vegies:
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, very finely minced
1/3 cup diced onion
2/3 cup sliced mushrooms
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 carrot, sliced
small can bamboo shoots
small can water chestnuts
a small amount of sliced green onions
1/3 cup peas

Sauce:
1 cup chicken broth
2 T soy sauce
2 T Sherry
1 t pepper
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 T corn starch

Also need:
1/2 cup sliced almonds

1) Combine chicken, egg white, corn starch and water. Heat oil in a saucepan to 280 degrees (use a candy thermometer). Drop in the chicken a little at a time and cook until the chicken is done with no remaining pink - about 7 minutes.
2) Heat a wok, drop in a little oil. Drop in the garlic and ginger and stir fry until it just starts to soften. Saute the onion, green pepper, celery, carrot, and mushrooms until mushrooms are soft.
3) Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce and stir.
4) Add the cooked chicken and all of the rest of the ingredients to the wok and stir. Cook until heated through and the sauce thickens up a bit.