2-3 lbs. chicken breasts, boneless
1 red bell pepper, seeds removed
1 onion
1 carrot
3-4 Szechuan peppers, or to taste
1 cup straw or oyster mushrooms
1 cup snow peas or broccoli flowerets
2 stalks celery
1 cup raw cashews or peanuts
4 slices fresh ginger
1 tsp. garlic, minced or grated
1/8 tsp. cayenne
2-4 oz. pineapple or orange juice
2 oz. soy sauce
1 cup dry sherry
1 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
flour

Cube the chicken and dredge it in the flour. Julienne the pepper and carrot. Cut the onion into triangles and the celery into diagonal pieces. Heat a wok over high heat and add peanut oil. Add ginger and garlic. Stir in cayenne and Szechuan peppers, as much as you like. To prevent it from having too much heat, scrape out the seeds and ribs from the peppers.

Stir in nuts, and then the chicken. Stir in the vegetables; pour in juice, wine, soy sauce, and stock. Bring to a boil.

Remove the ginger (and Szechuan peppers). Stir in sesame oil and simmer to thicken and reduce the mixture. Add a little cornstarch mixed in cold water if a thicker sauce is desired, or just reduce the sauce by simmering. If you add cornstarch, allow at least 20 additional minutes for cooking to remove the "uncooked" taste from the sauce.

Serve immediately over rice or fresh Chinese noodles.

Serve with:

Scallion pancakes
Smoked salmon platter with chopped egg, onion, and herb butter served with pumpernickel cocktail bread
Radicchio, orange, and red onion salad with balsamic vinaigrette
Sherbet or frozen yogurt with cookies