* Ends and strings removed from snow peas ** Chicken breasts should be skinned, boned and cut into bite sized pieces.
Cover mushrooms with warm water, let stand for 30 minutes, then drain.
Cut off and discard stems; squeeze mushrooms dry, thinly slice and set aside.
In a bowl, combine soy, cornstarch, sherry, water and pepper.
Add chicken and toss to coat, then stir in 1 1/2 t of the oil and let stand for fifteen minutes to marinate.
Prepare cooking sauce - mix together water, sherry, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil and cornstarch and set aside.
Place a wok or wide frying pan over high heat.
When pan is hot, add 2 T of the oil.
When oil begins to heat, add garlic and stir once.
Add chicken and stir-fry until chicken is opaque (about 3 minutes).
Remove chicken from pan.
Add remaining 1 T oil to pan.
When oil is hot, add mushrooms and bamboo shoots.
Stir-fry for one minutes, adding a few drops water if pan appears dry.
Add snow peas and stir-fry for 1 1/2 minutes, adding a few drops more water if pan appears dry.
Return chicken to pan.
Stir cooking sauce, add to pan, and cook, stirring until sauce bubbles and thickens.
Variations: Cashew or Almond Chicken - first toast 1/2 c cashews or blanched almonds in 1 T salad oil over medium-low heat until golden; remove from pan and set aside.
Stir in nuts just before serving.
