6 med. dried black mushrooms or can of straw mushrooms and juice
1 whole chicken breast (1 lb.)
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
4 oz. pea pods
2 oz. fully cooked smoked ham
2 whole canned abalone, drained, or 1 can minced clams plus juice
2 green onions with tops
4 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. shredded canned bamboo shoots
1/4 tsp. sesame oil (optional)
1/8 tsp. white pepper

Soak black mushrooms in warm water until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain. Rinse in warm water and drain. Remove and discard stems. Cut caps into thin slices.

Remove bones and skin from chicken and cut meat into thin strips. Toss strips in cornstarch in glass bowl. Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes.

Remove strings from pea pods and place in boiling water. Cook 1 minute and drain. Immediately rinse under cold water, drain.

Cut pea pods lengthwise into thin strips. Cut green onion into 2-inch pieces.

Heat broth and mushrooms to boiling, stir in chicken and bamboo shoot and heat to boiling. Stir in ham, oil and pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat, simmer 5 minutes. Add pea pods, cook and stir 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Stir in abalone and onions. Serve immediately 6-10 servings.