Thai Tamarind Chicken Stir-Fry

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 to 3 tablespoons oil
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (2-inch) pieces galangal, or ginger cut into matchstick pieces
• 2 tablespoons sherry
• 6 to 8 medium fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• 5 to 8 fresh basil, or cilantro leaves
• Steamed Thai jasmine rice, optional, for serving

​​For the Tamarind Sauce:

• 2 teaspoons tamarind paste
• 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 to 2 medium fresh green or red chiles, or 1/4 to 3/4 teaspoon chile flakes

Steps to Make It

1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Place sliced chicken in a bowl. Dissolve the cornstarch in the soy sauce and pour over. Stir well to saturate the chicken with the sauce. Set aside to marinate while you make the tamarind sauce
3. Make the tamarind stir-fry sauce by mixing the tamarind paste, chicken stock, fish sauce, sugar, and chilis in a small bowl.
4. Heat a wok or large frying pan over high or medium-high heat. Drizzle in the oil then add the garlic, galangal or ginger, and the chicken along with the marinade.
5. Stir-fry for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until chicken is opaque when sliced through. Add a little sherry (1 tablespoon at a time) as you stir-fry whenever the pan starts to become dry.
6. Add the mushrooms, then start adding the tamarind sauce 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time. Continue stir-frying in this way until all the sauce has been added and the chicken and mushrooms are cooked, about 4 to 5 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and serve with fresh basil sprinkled over and plenty of Thai jasmine rice.