Chinese Cellophane Chicken Recipe

This is my version of a recipe you can find in many Chinese cookbooks and all over the Net. It's one of those recipes which is pleasant to look at and makes a great impression.

• Meal Type: Entree
• Ethnicity: Chinese
• Holiday Category: N/A
• Preparation Time: Over 1 hour, less than 1 day

Ingredients

• 32 pieces of chicken breast, cut into pieces about 2"
• 32 pieces of ordinary cellophane from a stationery store, about 6"
• 32 scallions, the white part and the lower part of the green only.
• 32 slices fresh ginger.
• 1/4 cup sesame oil.
• 1/4 cup soy sauce.
• 1/4 cup red wine.
• 3 tablespoons sugar.
• About 1 1/2 quarts oil for deep frying.

Directions

1. Cut the chicken pieces and the cellophane to size.
2. Make a marinade by mixing the sesame oil, soy sauce, red wine, and sugar. Put the chicken pieces into it to marinate. Mix once in a while.
3. Cut the scallions and the ginger to size. Put them into the marinade with the chicken.
4. For each envelope portion, do as follows: Put a square of cellophane in front of you at a diagonal, as if you were dealing with a diamond shape instead of a square. Put a piece of chicken from the marinade crosswise in the middle of the cellophane. Put a slice of ginger and a scallion on top of the chicken. Fold as follows: Fold the lower corner, near you, upward over the chicken slice and condiments. Fold the left corner over the chicken slice and condiments and the first fold, then the right. Fold the top corner down over the chicken slice and condiments and the left and right folds. Then tuck the corner itself into the flap formed by the left and right folds. Press. The envelope which you have just made will have to hold a seal against boiling oil, but it will. It's stronger than it looks.
5. Heat the oil until it is very hot, for deep frying. Put about six envelopes in the oil each time. Deep fry about four minutes, stirring gently once or twice, then drain in a colander for aesthetic reasons.
6. Serve in the envelope. Each person gets at least two. Four is better.