Recipe No 492 stir-fry Original 2010 Adapted 2014

Cashew chicken

Cashew chicken is a common dish in many Chinese restaurants. Most westernized versions, however, are heavy and unrefined. A true Cantonese cashew chicken is served in a very light sauce seasoned with ginger.

This recipe is easy to make and serves as a great introduction to the art and alchemy of a good stir fry. We’ve adapted this recipe from Grace Young’s superb book, Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge, which we thoroughly recommend as a kitchen essential for the cook who is interested in starting to make great stir-fry dishes at home.

Adapted from Grace Young, Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge

Time

Prep:

Total:

Difficulty
easy
Yield
2–4 serves • 800 g
Special equipment
wok
Metric Imperial

Processes

  • Garlic, minced (1 tbsp)
    10 g
  • Soy sauce (1 tsp)
    5 g
  • Rice wine (1 tsp)
    6 g
  • Salt (½ tsp)
    2 g
  • Sugar (⅛ tsp)
    0.8 g
  • Cornstarch (1 tsp)
    4 g
  1. 01
    Combine in a medium bowl an mix thoroughly.

  • Chicken thigh, skinless and boneless, cut into ½" / 1.3 cm cubes
    400 g
  1. 02
    Add to marinade and stir to combine.

  • Chicken broth (¼ cup)
    60 g
  • Soy sauce (1 tsp)
    5 g
  • Rice wine (2 tbsp)
    36 g
  • Cornstarch (½ tsp)
    4 g
  1. 03
    Combine in a small bowl and set aside.
  2. 04
    Heat an empty wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within of contact.

  • Peanut oil (1 tbsp)
    12 g
  • Ginger, peeled and finely chopped (2 tbsp)
    16 g
  1. 05
    Add to wok and stir fry for .
  2. 06
    Push the ginger up the side of the wok.
  3. 07
    Add chicken pieces and spread evenly in a single layer. Leave undisturbed to let the chicken sear, .
  4. 08
    Stir-fry until the chicken has fully changed colour but not cooked through, another

  • Peanut oil (1 tbsp)
    12 g
  1. 09
    Add to wok and allow to heat for .

  • Sugar snap peas, strings removed (½ cup)
    70 g
  • Carrots, thinly sliced to around 2 mm / ⅛" (½ cup)
    70 g
  • Celery, thinly sliced to around 2 mm / ⅛" (½ cup)
    70 g
  • Roasted cashews, unsalted (½ cup)
    70 g
  • Salt (¼ tsp)
    1 g
  1. 10
    Add to wok and stir fry until the sugar snaps are bright green, .
  2. 11
    Re-stir the broth mixture and swirl it into the wok.
  3. 12
    Stir-fry until the chicken is just cooked through, about more.

Notes

Good quality cashews go a long way to enhancing the final quality of this dish.

If you can’t find roasted cashews, you can roast them yourself by rolling them around in a dry fry pan over medium heat until they are lightly golden, around .

You can make this in a skillet if you don’t have a wok. Follow the same instructions.

This will comfortably serve 2 to 3 people as a main meal, with rice; or 4 people as a smaller dish in a multi-course meal.

You can reduce the fat content by reducing the oil to 8 g / 0.28 oz in and as well as halving the amount of cashews to 35 g / 1.2 oz.

(Chef notes) Modernist version:

* Make infused oil of ginger instead of ginger pieces (won’t burn in oil)

* Pressure marinate chicken pieces in iSi (include baking soda?)

* Dry vegetable surface by leaving in fridge exposed after prepping

* Sous vide chicken pièces in marinade to 67°C / 153°F

* Thicken bag juices + sauce with xanthan; lower amount of chicken stock to 20 g / 0.71 oz (chicked juices will substitute) and leave out the cornstarch

* Dry cooked meat thoroughly

* Brown chicken pieces in wok in ginger oil then remove from wok; heat wok to 230°C / 445°F, measure with infrared thermometer

* Stir fry the vegetables and nuts in wok (reheat to 230°C / 445°F); leave for without disturbing and repeat 1 more time

* Add sauce to wok with vegetables and simmer .

* Remove wok from heat then add meat and stir to combine and gently reheat. Serve immediately with a garnish of coriander?

Making ahead

Prep the vegetables and store in the fridge uncovered for up to 24 hours. If storing for longer, seal in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.

Trim the chicken pieces of all unnecessary fat and store covered with a clean dish cloth for up to 24 hours. If storing for longer, cover with plastic wrap and store for up to 3 days.

Food pairings

Rice

Categorisation

Category
stir-fry
Meal
dinner lunch
Cuisine
chinese
Diet
omnivorous
Tags
cashew chicken stir fry sugar snap wok