Thai Cashew Chicken

Cashew Chicken is a popular Thai recipe brought on by the Chinese. This is a more rounded recipe that uses bok choy and shi’itake mushrooms

ingredients

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces or strips
1 onion, sliced
4 green onions, cut into thirds
5-8 large leaves bok choy*, cut into square bite-size pieces
1/2 cup cashews, dry roasted, unsalted
1 cup shi’itake mushrooms, sliced, fresh or dried (if dried, soak in hot water for at least 4 hours beforehand)
3 cloves garlic
Marinade: 2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp. water and 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth or white wine
Fresh Cilantro (optional)
SAUCE:
3 Tbsp. white wine
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 heaping Tbsp. brown sugar
OTHER:
1 Tbsp. arrowroot or cornstarch powder, dissolved in 3 Tbsp. water
1-2 Tbsp. oil for stir-frying

directions

1
Place cornstarch powder (dissolved in water and soy sauce) in a medium-size bowl. Add chicken pieces and stir well to combine. Set aside to marinate.
2
To make the stir-fry sauce, combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl stirring well. Set aside.
3
In a large wok or frying pan, fry the cooking onion, garlic, in oil over medium-high heat (1-2 minutes).
4
Add the chicken (with the soy sauce marinade) and mushrooms. Continue stir frying until chicken is cooked (2-5 minutes). When the wok or frying pan becomes too dry, add a little of the broth or cooking wine, 1 Tbsp. at a time.
5
Add the rest of the vegetables and continue stir frying until they soften and turn bright green (about 1 minute).
6
Finally, add the sauce you made earlier, plus the cashews. Then add the cornstarch powder dissolved in water. Continuing stirring until everything is well combined and the sauce thickens (1-2 more minutes).
7
Do a taste test for salt and sweetness, adding more sugar if too sour for your taste (the sauce should taste tangy and a little sweet).
8
Serve with Thai jasmine-scented rice.

notes

*Bok Choy* has been cultivated for over six thousand years in China. It has a light, sweet flavor, crisp texture and is extremely rich in Vitamins A and C. It can be found in any supermarket.

Source: matt