Cashew Chicken

I used to make recipes out of the Sunset Oriental Cook Book quite a bit when I was in college.  Not so much lately, and I'm realizing it's because I tend to cook leaner nowadays.  Asian food is pretty good for you, especially if you're lactose or gluten intolerant, but there can be quite a bit of oil and fat in there.  I don't stir-fry nearly as much as when I was in my 20s and had no idea how to cook meat safely.

The time commitment in most Asian dishes is in the prep, and this recipe is no different.  It's designed to be cooked table-side in an electric wok.  You can do it just as easily in the kitchen in a skillet over any kind of stove.  The ingredients don't have to be plated as artfully when you do that.

If you can find "chicken breasts for stir fry", go for it.  The extra dollar per pound over standard boneless/skinless is worth it.  I bought the stage before that, thin-cut boneless/skinless breasts, because it was the closest to the weight I wanted.  Cutting that into strips and squares only took a couple of minutes.  Anything that low fat and pumped full of saline will get freezer burn easily, so I only bought what I wanted to use.

You'll note that the recipe calls for Chinese peas in the pod.  That's so you can pick them up with chopsticks.  There weren't any in the frozen section, the fresh ones cost almost as much as the chicken, and I had already sunk a lot of money into this recipe, so I made the executive decision to use regular frozen peas and a fork.

1 lb boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1/2 lb Chinese peas in the pod or 1 C regular frozen peas
1/2 lb mushrooms
4 green onions
1 can sliced bamboo shoots
1 C reduced sodium chicken stock
1/4 C soy sauce
2 Tb cornstarch
1/2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
1/4 C vegetable oil
4 oz whole cashew nuts

1.  Slice chicken 1/8" thick, then cut in 1" squares.  If using fresh peas, remove the ends and strings.  Wash and slice mushrooms (or buy sliced).  Slice white parts of onions 1/4" thick; cut greens 1" long.  Drain bamboo shoots.  Mix together soy sauce, cornstarch, and sugar into a slurry.

2.  Heat 1 Tb oil over medium in a large skillet with a lid (or a wok).  Add nuts and cook, shaking pan, until lightly toasted.  Remove from pan and set aside.

3.  Add remaining oil and the chicken.  Cook, stirring frequently, until opaque on all sides.  Add peas, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots.  Pour in the broth, cover, and simmer until the mushrooms are as done as you like them.  For me, that was about 10 minutes, but I don't like any hint of raw mushroom.

4.  Stir the soy sauce slurry again, then add to the liquid in the skillet.  Stir and cook until thickened.  The sauce will be a little gelatinous.  Taste and add salt if necessary.  Add the green onions and nuts.  Serve hot, maybe with rice or other Chinese side dishes.

Difficulty rating  :)