ABC Chicken Wings

The Ingredients (for two people):

• 6 or 7 chicken wings
• 30 cc (or 2 Tbsp) of finely chopped ginger
• 30 cc (or 2 Tbsp) of finely chopped garlic
• 15 cc (or 1 Tbsp) of Chinese "five spice" powder
• 30 ml (or 2 Tbsp) of dark soy sauce
• 30 ml (or 2 Tbsp) of cooking sherry
• 225 g (or 1/2 lb) of mushrooms (preferably fleshy mushrooms with a mild umami taste)
• 340 g (or 3/4 lb) of broccoli florets
• 30 ml (or 2 Tbsp) of Chinese oyster sauce
• olive oil

The Method:

1. Wash the chicken wings and cut them through the joints into three pieces.

2. Discard the tips or save them for soup stock; place the remaining pieces into a bowl.
3. Marinate the chicken wing pieces in ginger, garlic, five spice, soy sauce, and cooking sherry for 15 to 30 min.
4. Wash and trim the mushrooms,then cut them into bite-size pieces.
5. Trim the broccoli, cut off bite-size florets, and rinse them under running water.
6. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat.

7. Lift the chicken pieces out of their marinade with tongs and add them to the oil in the pan, using a splatter guard to contain the spitting oil.
8. Keep the marinade within reach for later.
9. Brown the chicken pieces on both sides, adding the mushrooms to the pan when the chicken is almost browned.
10. Stir-fry the mushrooms with the chicken for 1 min, then lower the heat, cover the pan, and cook on medium-low heat for 12 min.
11. Remove the chicken and mushrooms from the pan with tongs or a slotted spoon and set aside.
12. Reheat the pan to medium-high heat.
13. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for 1 min.
14. Add the chicken marinade, including all the ginger and garlic, and stir fry the broccoli for 1 min.
15. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and cook the broccoli for 2 min.
16. Add the chicken and mushrooms back into the pan
17. Add the oyster sauce, and stir to mix all ingredients.
18. Cover the pan and cook for 1 to 2 min.

The Story:

This dish is inexpensive and, in spite of the 18-point method, it is easy and fairly quick to make. For us it is now a one-dish meal served right from the pan, although in our younger days we served it with bowls of rice. It was one of our children's favorite dinners.

The perfect mushrooms for this dish are grown on the island of Hawai'i, and are called Ali'i oyster mushrooms. Their species name is Pleurotis eryngii. Most of the meat is in the thick stems, which have a consistency similar to that of hearts of palm. They add a little flavor to the dish, their distinctive texture, and extra nourishment.