2 lb chicken
3 Tablespoons sesame oil
6 slices ginger root
1/2 cup medium sherry
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup button mushrooms, canned
8 fresh asparagus spears

Rinse chicken, remove fat pockets, pat dry and chop into
bite-size pieces. Peel and slice ginger root. Wash and cut asparagus into
2″ sections.
Heat wok to medium hot. Add sesame oil. Start braising chicken a few pieces
at a time when oil begins to smell. Sesame oil will burn at lower temperature
than other cooking oils, so avoid hot wok. After browning lightly, return
chicken pieces to wok; add ginger slices, sherry and salt. When sherry boils, add water
and sugar. Turn up heat, bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover and simmer for
30 minutes. Add mushrooms and asparagus, simmer for another 15 minutes.
Transfer to covered soup tureen (or put plate on top of soup bowl), place
in steamer on low and hold until ready to serve.

Notes:

* If tempted to use breast meat without bones, please don’t; bones add
to body and flavour of soup.

* You can make this soup in large sauce pan, if wok is needed for
something else.