A Peruvian chifa home classic: tender chicken stir-fried with broccoli, Chinese cabbage, snow peas, bell pepper, onion, carrot, and bean sprouts. Soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger, and garlic form a light sauce thickened with potato starch, just enough to glaze everything without drowning the vegetables. Serve hot with white rice, keeping the chicken juicy and the vegetables bright and crisp.
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Slice the chicken breast against the grain into thin, even pieces. Divide the broccoli into small florets; thinly slice the carrot, cut the red onion and red bell pepper into medium pieces, chop the Chinese cabbage into larger pieces, and separate the white and green parts of the scallions. Wash and drain the snow peas and bean sprouts very well; water clinging to vegetables means steaming instead of stir-frying.
Toss the chicken with about one quarter of the soy sauce, one third of the potato starch, and half of the white pepper, creating only a thin coating. In another bowl, mix the water, remaining soy sauce, oyster sauce, and remaining potato starch until smooth. The chicken can sit coated for the few minutes it takes to finish the sauce; no long marinade is necessary.
Heat the wok over high heat until very hot. Add part of the vegetable oil and stir-fry the chicken breast in 2 batches, about 2 to 3 minutes per batch, spreading it out so it contacts the metal before tossing. Remove each batch once it has browned edges and is almost cooked through, while still juicy.
Return the wok to high heat and add the remaining vegetable oil. Add the red onion, carrot, and broccoli and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the ginger, ground garlic, red bell pepper, snow peas, and white parts of the scallions; stir-fry for another 1½ to 2 minutes. The vegetables should be very hot, glossy, and still firm, not cooked until they lose their color.
Add the Chinese cabbage and bean sprouts and stir-fry for only 30 seconds. Stir the sauce again to lift the settled starch, pour it into the wok, and return the chicken. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing vigorously, until the sauce boils, loses the cloudy look of raw starch, and becomes clear, glossy, and lightly clinging to the chicken and vegetables. If it turns gluey, the wok stayed on the heat too long or too much starch was used.
Turn off the heat and fold in the sesame oil and green parts of the scallions. Serve immediately with the cooked white rice. The right result is juicy chicken, crisp broccoli and snow peas, barely wilted cabbage, and a light, glossy chifa sauce that leaves no puddle on the plate. Hot wok, lively vegetables, and soy sauce with restraint. 🥢
