Chicken with Double Garlic Black Bean Sauce

This is an adaptation of a recipe I got in a Chinese cook book. The ingredients can be found in the oriental section of the grocery store. It serves 3-4. Yum!


1 Tablespoon Aji-Mirin (sweet rice wine)
4 Teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided
5 Teaspoons cornstarch, divided
1 Teaspoon sesame oil
2 large chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 Tablespoon Garlic Black Bean sauce
1 Teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 Clove minced garlic
½ Cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 Pound fresh asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Stalk celery, sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 small onion, diced
3 Tablespoons water (I use water from the pasta)
4 servings (large handful) angel hair pasta

A.) Make a marinade of wine, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons cornstarch and the sesame oil. Add chicken pieces and toss well to coat. Chill for 30 minutes while preparing the veggies.

B.) Mix together black bean sauce with ginger, minced garlic, broth, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, oyster sauce, and remaining 3 teaspoons cornstarch, set aside.

C.) Prepare pasta in a separate pan, in salted water if desired.

D.) Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add chicken with marinade and stir-fry until the chicken is opaque, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan.

E.) Heat 1 tablespoon oil to wok and stir-fry veggies for about 2 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons water to the pan, cover, and allow the veggies to cook for another minute.

F.) Return chicken to the wok, add sauce mixture, and cook, stirring, until sauce thickens. Serve over the pasta.