Sichuan-inspired saucy stir-fry with black bean chili

Slice the chicken breast into about half centimetre sheets.

Marinate the chicken, mixing well.

Add half a tablespoon of starch and an egg white, mix until mostly free of clumps, then coat with a tablespoon of oil and mix again.

Heat half a cup of oil in a wok to about 145C over a high flame.

Lay the chicken in, drop to medium and stir fry about one minute until it looks more or less done, then remove and drain.

Scoop out all but a tablespoon of the oil.

Fry the spinach over a maximum flame in two batches until it begins to wilt.

Season the spinach with an eighth teaspoon each of salt and granulated sugar and stir fry about 20 seconds; lift it out without the released moisture onto a big plate.

Drizzle a tablespoon and a half of oil into the wok over a high flame and add the sliced mushrooms; stir fry about two minutes, laying them flat periodically to brown.

Add the red pepper and stir fry about 40 seconds until it is just barely beginning to soften, then remove and set with the chicken.

Heat two tablespoons of oil, preferably lard, and fry the minced scallion whites over medium low about 30 seconds.

Add the Lao Gan Ma black bean chili and fry about half a minute to stain the oil.

Add the chili flake and fry another half minute.

Raise to high, add the stock and soy sauce and season, then bring to a boil.

Drop to medium low and drizzle in the slurry bit by bit until thickened to your liking.

Add the stir-fried ingredients and cook on high about half a minute.

Toss in the scallion greens and the Sichuan pepper powder, mix well, heat off.

Optionally drizzle in half a tablespoon of the oil from the laogama jar, then smother it all over the fried spinach.