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This dish gets most of its flavor from the ginger used in such quantities to be considered a vegetable. The chili-garlic sauce is optional, but the taste of the dish is vastly improved by the addition of the hot and spicy sauce.
Ginger Chicken (Gai Phat Khing)
8 cloves garlic[1], crushed and chopped [2]
1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1/4 inch slices[3]
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 small onion, quartered and sliced thinly[1]
6 scallions, bulbs cut into rounds, greens into 1" sections[4]
1 red serrano chili
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce[5]
2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)[6]
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/3 cup finely julienned fresh ginger [7]
2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce[8]
Mix soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, and sugar together in a small bowl. Have all ingredients in easy reach of the cooking area.[9]
Put a wok over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the oil, and when the oil is moving[10], add the garlic and stir-fry until it is golden and aromatic. Add the chicken, turn the heat to high, and stir-fry for one minute. Add the mushrooms, stir-fry for one minute, then add the onions, and stir to mix before adding the sauce [11]. Add all remaining ingredients but the chili-garlic sauce. Stir-fry until chicken is cooked through and peppers are still crisp.
Stir in the chili-garlic sauce[12] and remove from heat and serve.
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[1] 'Garlic don't need no reason.' - Alton Brown.
[2] The best way I've found to peel garlic is to smash a clove under the side of a large knife (or with the heel of my hand) and then to pick the loosened skin off the garlic. Crushing garlic also ruptures some cell walls, allowing the flavor components in the garlic to mix.
[3] The secret to evenly cooking chicken in stir-frys is to try to have all the strips being the same size.
[4] Green or spring onions work just as well.
[5] We use Pearl River Bridge Dark Mushroom Soy, and the taste difference between it and the standard soy sauce is monumental.
[6] It smells funny but it's irreplaceable in Southeast Asian cuisine.
[7] Ginger from most grocery stores has a tough outer skin that needs to be peeled off before you can cut the ginger. Young ginger has a lighter skin and is best unpeeled.
[8] Chili-garlic sauce is lightly fermented and is usually found on the table at most Thai restaurants. I like the Lee Kum Kee brand.
[9] mise en place is essential to any stir-fry. Having all the ingredients ready to cook and in easy reach leads to a faster, more efficient, stir-fry.
[10] I use the hood light over my range to watch for oil movement. If the oil starts to smoke, dispose of it and start over with a clean pan. Smoky oil tastes bad.
[11] Stir the sauce first so that all the sugar gets into the wok! The sugar will naturally drop to the bottom of the bowl, and having the right balance of hot, sour, salty, and sweet tastes is key in Southeast Asia cuisine.
[12] To taste. It's best to just put the jar on the table.
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http://www.vapidthumbtack.com/recipes/gingerchicken.html
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