Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps

To eat this Chinese style treat, spoon the chicken mixture into a crisp lettuce leaf, fold and eat with your hands.  It is usually served as an appetizer, but we eat it for a light dinner. 

2 large cloves garlic

1 quarter-size slice fresh ginger
1 8-oz can sliced bamboo shoots, drained
1 8-oz can water chestnuts, drained
5 green onions, chopped
 ¼ lb. mushrooms chopped
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 2” chunks
4 tablespoons salad oil, split 2 T. & 

2 T.
¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Cooking Sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 T. dry sherry
2 T. water
2 T. soy sauce
½ t. sugar

Hoisin Sauce for spreading
Chilled Romaine or Butter lettuce leaves

1. Insert metal blade in your food processor.  Mince garlic and ginger and set aside.
2. Place bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and onions in a work bowl.  Process until finely chopped. Set aside.
3. Chop mushrooms and set aside.
4. Chop raw chicken, ½ at a time, until finely chopped. 
5. Prepare cooking sauce.  Set aside.
6. Heat a wok or a 12” frying pan over high heat.
7. Add 2 T. of the cooking oil.
8. Add garlic, ginger and red pepper (optional) and stir.
9. Add chicken and stir fry until opaque (about 3 minutes) and set aside.
10. Using a paper towel and tongs, wipe the fry pan clean.
11. Add remaining 2 T. cooking oil to pan.
12. When oil is hot, add mushrooms, onions, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots and stir fry for 2 minutes.
13. Return the chicken to the pan.
14. Stir cooking sauce, pour in to the pan and cook stirring until sauce boils and thickens.
15. To eat, spread a little Hoisin sauce on a lettuce leaf.  Spoon on some of the chicken mixture, then wrap up and eat out of hand.