Asian Recipes and Cooking Guide

Cooking Tips, Kitchen Skills and Recipes.....

This is one of the classic dish in Sichuan cuisine, originating from the Sichuan region of Western China, where chilies are widely used. In this recipe, diced chicken is used as its primary ingredient and typically mixed with a pre-prepared marinade. Fresh unroasted cashew nuts are often used but in this recipe, the pre-roasted cashew nuts will be used instead.

Ingredients: (Serves 3)

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast portions, total weight about 350 g/12 oz

1 egg white

10 ml/2 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch)

2.5 ml/0.5 teaspoon salt

30 ml/2 tablespoons yellow salted beans

15 ml/1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

5 ml/1 teaspoon soft light brown sugar

15 ml/1 tablespoon rice wine or medium-dry sherry

15 ml/1 tablespoon wine vinegar

4 garlic cloves, crushed

150 ml/0.25 pint chicken stock

45 ml/3 tablespoons sunflower oil

2-3 dried red chilies, chopped

115 g/4 oz/1 cup roasted cashew nuts

Fresh coriander (cilantro), to garnish

Method:

Cut the chicken into neat pieces. Lightly whisk the egg white in a dish, whisk in the cornflour and salt, then add the chicken and stir until coated. In a bowl, mash the beans. Stir in the hoisin sauce, brown sugar, rice wine or sherry, vinegar, garlic and stock.

Heat a wok, add the oil and stir-fry the chicken for 2 minutes until tender. Lift out the chicken and set aside. Heat the oil remaining in the wok and fry the chili pieces for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the wok and pour in the bean sauce mixture. Bring to the boil, stir in the cashew nuts and heat through. Spoon into a heated serving dish, garnish with the coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Happy Cooking,

Carol