Although this chicken recipe is delicious, an arguably more elegant (although more expensive) version of this Southern dish uses quail’s meat and dried oysters.

Ingredients:

2 large iceburg lettuce heads
8 medium dried Chinese mushrooms, reconstituted
2 to 3 ounces (55 to 85 grams) Szechwan preserved vegetable, rinsed and dried
6 to 8 water chestnuts, fresh peeled or canned, drained
4 to 6 chicken breasts, about 2 to 2 1⁄2 pounds (900 grams to 1.15 kilograms), skinned and boned
2 ounces (55 grams) walnuts or blanched almonds
10 tablespoons peanut or corn oil
4 or 5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
6 scallions, cut into tiny rounds, white and green parts separated
1 1⁄2 tablespoons Shaohsing wine or medium-dry sherry

For the marinade:
3⁄4 to 1 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 to 1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon thin soy sauce
8 to 10 turns white pepper mill
2 teaspoons Shaohsing wine or medium-dry sherry
1 1⁄2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 to 3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons peanut or corn oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil

For the sauce:
1 1⁄2 teaspoons potato flour
9 tablespoons clear stock
1 to 2 teaspoons thick soy sauce (for coloring)
2 tablespoons oyster sauce

Directions:

Wash and dry the lettuce. Refrigerate to maintain crispness until almost ready to cook the chicken. Then arrange the leaves on 1 or 2 plates. Drain and squeeze out excess water from the mushrooms but leave damp. Dice into the size of small peas.

Finely chop the Szechwan preserved vegetable, removing stringy fibers at the same time. Mince the water chestnuts in a food processor or blender. Chop the chicken by hand or mince coarsely. Put into a large bowl.

Prepare the marinade: Add the salt, sugar, soy sauce, pepper, wine or sherry, cornstarch and egg white to the chicken. Stir to coat until well blended. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and stir vigorously to make the chicken lighter in texture.

Stir in the mushrooms, preserved vegetable and water chestnuts. Let marinate for 30 minutes. Blend in the oil and sesame oil. Prepare the sauce: Dissolve the potato flour in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of the stock. Stir in the remaining stock and add the soy sauce and oyster sauce.

Heat a wok until hot. Add the walnuts or almonds and stir continuously over low to medium heat for about 3 minutes, until crisp and fragrant. Remove and chop. Wash and dry the wok. (This step can be done several hours ahead.)

Reheat the wok over high heat until smoke rises. Add the oil and swirl it around until very hot. Add the garlic, which will sizzle and take on color almost instantly. Add the white scallions, stir a couple of times and add the chicken. Sliding the wok scoop or metal spatula to the bottom of the wok, flip and toss for 2 or 3 minutes, or until the chicken turns white, breaking up lumps at the same time. Splash in the wine or sherry around the side of the wok, stirring as it sizzles.

As soon as the sizzling dies down, lower the heat, push the ingredients to the side of the wok and pour the well-stirred sauce into the middle. When it bubbles, stir in the surrounding chicken, add the green scallions and walnuts or almonds, still stirring to blend well. Transfer to a warm serving plate and put in the center of the table with the prepared lettuce.

To eat, each person takes 1 piece of lettuce at a time, spoons some chicken onto the lettuce, folds it to encase the chicken and then eats it with the fingers.

Serves 6 with 2 other dishes