CASHEW CHICKEN
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| CASHEW CHICKEN |
This "Cashew Chicken"
is made with boneless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces, marinated
& dredged and then seared. The best
about this Cashew Chicken is the Brown Sauce made with Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Rice Wine Vinegar, Garlic, Ginger & Dry Chillies. Simple
and quick-fix recipes are always a hit with me. And this Cashew Chicken is one of my favourites when it comes to Chinese Style Chicken Recipes for two reasons - it can be cooked
within minutes and additionally, it comes with Cashew Nuts.
Well, any Chinese restaurant style Chicken recipes, have an extremely tender and silky texture. Soft & Succulent and the secret behind this velvety texture is that most Chinese chefs “treat” the chicken with baking soda. Baking soda removes the potential “meaty” odour from the meat and tenderizes it at the same time. *See below in A Quick Tip section for a detailed explanation on how to treat chicken with baking soda & for Searing techniques.
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| CASHEW CHICKEN |
Cashew Chicken is one popular dish around the world in most of the Chinese Restaurants. The best reason for this Cashew Chicken to be popular is that it has a perfect balance of flavours - it is equally sweet and tangy and all the more slightly underlined with a note of spiciness. To get the right taste is to come up with the right combination, to suit your taste preference.
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Cuisine : Chinese, Southeast Asian
Course : Side Dish
Spice Level : Low - Medium
Difficulty : Easy
Serves : 2-3
Author : SM
Preparation Time :
Marination Time : 20 - 30 Minutes
Cooking Time :
For CHINESE STYLE CHICKEN RECIPES, Click here...
HOW TO COOK CHINESE STYLE CASHEW CHICKEN
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| CASHEW CHICKEN |
INGREDIENTS:
To Marinate:
Boneless Chicken - 250 GramsShaoxing Wine - 1 Teaspoon
Salt - To Taste
White Pepper - A Pinch
Cornstarch - 1 Teaspoon
For The Sauce:
Light Soy Sauce - 1 TablespoonOyster Sauce - 1 Teaspoon
Rice Wine Vinegar - 1 Tablespoon
Sugar - 1 Teaspoon
Cornstarch - 1 Teaspoon
Water - 3 Tablespoons
To Roast Cashew nuts:
Cashew nuts - 3/4 CupOil - 3 Teaspoons
To Sauté:
Onion - 1 LargeGarlic - 4 Cloves
Ginger - 1" Piece
Dry Red Chillies - 3-4 No's.
Oil - 2 Tablespoons
To Garnish:
Spring Onion - Few |
| CASHEW CHICKEN |
METHOD:
- Peel, wash & cut Onions into chunks.
- Clean, Wash and Cut Chicken into small pieces.
- Marinate the Chicken pieces with the ingredients mentioned under 'To Marinate'.
- Leave this aside for about 20-30 minutes.
- Mix all the ingredients mentioned under 'For the Sauce' and keep it aside. Make sure there are no lumps,
- Heat 3 Teaspoons of Oil in a wok and shallow fry the Cashew Nuts until they turn golden brown.
- Remove them from oil and drain them on a Paper towel.
- In the same wok add 2 Tablespoons of Oil, sear the marinated chicken in hot oil for a few minutes until the colour changes.
- Remove it from oil and keep it aside.
- In the remaining Oil, sauté finely chopped Garlic, Ginger and Dry Red Chillies until they turn aromatic.
- Add Onion chunks and sauté it briefly.
- Add the seared Chicken to the above and stir-fry on high flame for a minute or two.
- Stir the Sauce Mix thoroughly before pouring it over the Chicken.
- Stir-fry until the sauce mix is well combined with the Chicken Pieces on high flame for a few minutes.
- Finally, add shallow fried Cashew nuts and give a quick stir.
- Garnish Cashew Chicken with Spring Onions.
- Serve Cashew Chicken hot with any dish of your choice.
- Dish out and serve it immediately with Jasmine Rice, White Rice, Brown Rice, Fried Rice, Noodles or any other dish of your choice.
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| CASHEW CHICKEN |
NOTES:
- Preferably cook this recipe in a wok or frying-pan over a high flame.
- Can also prepare the same recipe with Mushrooms, Chicken Wings, Tofu etc.,
- Use chicken breasts for the best result.
- Do not cut down on the cashews, add loads of cashew nuts. It gives a wonderful crunchiness in every bite of Cashew Chicken. After all, it is Cashew Chicken!
- The Sauce is the secret agent which elevates the taste and flavour of Cashew Chicken. For best results, use good quality Soy Sauce & Oyster Sauce.
- Can also add red or green bell peppers to the Cashew Chicken recipe.
- Adding Dry Chillies are purely optional. Adjust the spice level to your taste preference.
*A Quick Tip:
TENDERIZING THE CHICKEN:
Baking Soda helps to tenderize the chicken and also removes the meaty odour from the chicken. The trick to get extremely tender Chickens like Chinese restaurants, you may use 1 tablespoon of baking soda to tenderize about 250-500 Grams of chicken.
Sprinkle Baking Soda over the Chicken. Rub it up well to the chicken and leave it aside for about 8-10 minutes. Then rinse it off well in cold water. Make sure to rinse it well and there are no residues left in the Chicken. Pat fry with a paper towel. Then cut it into small cubes, and then you can proceed with marinating the chicken pieces.
SEARING A CHICKEN:
Searing a Chicken/Meat is a simple cooking technique where the meat is tossed in hot oil(a little amount just to coat the pan) until the colour changes or for some recipes Brown/caramelize them. This method changes the chemical composition in the meat and create an intense flavour and develop a perfect texture. The main point is that they are not deep-fried.To sear a Chicken/Meat :
- Clean, wash and cut the Chicken/Meat into pieces.
- Pat dry with a paper towel.
- Marinate the Chicken Pieces as suitable for the recipe.
- Heat a pan in high flame, add oil into the pan and spread it, so that the pan is well coated with oil.
- Toss in the Chicken/Meat pieces to the pan.
- If the oil is hot, you can hear a sizzling sound.
- Allow the meat pieces for 2-3 minutes, then toss it up so that the other side of the pieces are also well seared.
- Let the pieces turn into a slight brown colour.
- If you are searing big pieces, adjust the timing accordingly.
- Searing the meat/chicken pieces yields crispy and flavourful meat.
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