I found this one just recently (late September, '96), and, as usual, started making my own modifications after trying it the first time. I've got it about where I want it now, but will post any further changes here if and as they occur. It reminds me of another recipe I got from Jeff Smith for a garlic-peanut sauce for pasta, but in truth I prefer this one. One major point in this is the use of natural peanut butter, by which I mean a peanut butter whose ingredients are limited to peanuts, and maybe some added oil and salt. Teddie is a brand I find locally, but there are others. Specifically, you do not want to use Jif, Skippy, Peter Pan or the like which have added corn syrup and sweeteners. Then again, I'm not really sure why people buy that style of peanut butter, anyway. As far as the grated gingerroot goes, I always keep a supply of peeled gingerroot soaking in sherry in a jar in the fridge. It works great in all of my recipes calling for fresh ginger.
Place the peanut butter in a medium mixing bowl and, with a whisk or a fork (depending upon the consistency of the peanut butter) slowly work in the two cups of chicken stock till you've got a smooth, homogeneous mixture. To this, blend in by whisk the wine, soysauce and cayenne sauce. When this is well blended, sprinkle the corn starch on top of the mixture and blend that in by whisk.
Start water boiling for pasta, salted or not as desired. Preheat a wok, adding the oil to it when hot. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and stir fry over medium-high heat for a few minutes until the onion just begins to tenderize. If necessary, add a bit more oil. Remove this mixture from the wok to a separate bowl or plate, leaving as much liquid as possible in the wok.
While the wok is still hot, add the chicken chunks and
stir-fry over medium-high heat until the chicken is uniformly white
and opaque (adding more oil if need be to keep it from sticking excessively.)
Pull the chicken away from the center of the wok and up onto the sides.
Stir the sauce quickly with the whisk and pour it into the
center of the hot wok. Stir boiling sauce till thickened, then push chicken
back into it and cook, stirring for another 2 minutes. Replace the onion mixture
in the wok and stir fry the entire concoction together for a minute more.
Cover the sauce and turn off the heat. The pasta water should be just about boiling
by now. Cook the pasta till al dente, (but, then, you must always cook
pasta only until it is al dente.)
I find this best served separately, i.e. serve the pasta, and allow each
diner to spoon on as much of the chicken/peanut sauce as they desire,
rather than combining both on a serving platter. Make the sliced scallions
available as a garnish to be used at each diner's discretion.
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