Preparations: Cut up the chicken, onion, green bell pepper into 1-inch cubes. Mince the ginger; coarsely chop the garlic. Rinse and coarsely chop the fermented black beans. Put the chicken on your working platter with the onions, peppers, black beans, , and garlic, all in seperate piles. Mix the seasonings (dark soy, dry sherry, sugar, water), dissolve the cornstarch in a separate bowl; have the sesame oil nearby. All this may be done hours ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate the chicken and vegetables. Bring to room temperature before stir-frying.

Stir-Frying: Heat a wok or large, heavy skillet over high heat until hot, add tablespoon oil, swirl, and heat for 30 seconds. Scatter in the onions and peppers and stir-fry vigorously with the salt for about 1 minute. Remove to a dish. Add the remianing 2 tablespoons oil to the hot pan, heat a few seconds, then heat the ginger, , black beans, and garlic for a few seconds, stirring all the time. Add the chicken and toss and stir until all the pieces are yellow-whitish - about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the seasoning mixture, stir, and when it bubbles, turn the heat to medium, cover, and let the chicken steam-cook vigorously for 10 minutes, stirring the pieces every now and then. Uncover, turn heat high, add the onions and peppers, and stir in sweeping and tossing motions for 1 minute. Dissolve cornstarch in 3 Tb. Of water. Give the cornstarch mixture a big stir and pour it into the pan, stirring in a circular motion until the chicken and vegetables are smoothly glazed. Add the sesame oil, give the contents a few sweeping folds, and pour into a hot serving dish.