Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

8 dried shiitake mushrooms
boiling water – as needed
2 Tbls. vegetable oil
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
2 cloves garlic – minced fine
2 green onions – minced fine
2 sm. dried chilies – crushed, optional
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground chicken
8 oz. can bamboo shoots – drained, minced fine
8 oz. can water chestnuts – drained, minced fine
2 Tbls. dry sherry
2 Tbls. oyster sauce
1 Tbls. Hoisin sauce
1 Tbls. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. sugar
3 tsp. cornstarch
salt and pepper – to taste
1 head iceberg lettuce – leaves separated

Directions

Prepare the sauce (see recipe, below). Set aside until needed.

Cover mushrooms with boiling water and let stand for 30 minutes; drain; trim off and discard woody stems, then mince mushroom finely; set aside.

Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat; add oil, ginger, garlic, green onion, and chiles; stir-fry for 1 minute.

Add ground chicken to wok and cook, stirring to break up meat into small pieces, until chicken is cooked though.

Add bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, sherry, oyster sauce, Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar to wok; stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Sprinkle corn starch over contents of wok; stir until well blended; stir-fry for 2 minutes; remove from heat; season with salt and pepper.

Spoon mixture into lettuce leaves and roll up to enclose.

Serve prepared sauce beside wraps (see recipe, below).

Sauce for Chicken Lettuce Wraps:

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbls. soy sauce
2 Tbls. rice vinegar
2 Tbls. ketchup
1 Tbls. lemon juice
1 Tbls. Chinese hot mustard
1-3 tsp. garlic chili paste
1/8 tsp. sesame oil

Dissolve the sugar in the water in a small bowl.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Refrigerate until ready to serve the lettuce wraps.