Real Man Recipes - Thai Cashew Chicken

I've always wanted to share my cooking with people. I love entertaining and cooking for crowds, so I find recipes that I like, tweak them, and share them. I like simple recipes; things that you don’t need to scratch your head and wonder ‘what the hell is that?’ when it comes to ingredients. More often than not, I like to try and make do with what I have in the cupboards. A little culinary ingenuity never hurt anyone.

There’s a great little restaurant here in Thunder Bay called Thai Kitchen. Ever since the first time I ate there I've been trying to replicate their cashew chicken recipe. A buddy of mine went to Thailand a couple of years back, took a cooking class, and came with recipes that have also influenced mine.

So without further adieu, here’s my take on this tasty, authentic and exotic dish that you can whip up in no time, with only a couple of ingredients that you likely don’t already have in your cupboards.

Thai Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 large white onions, chopped roughly
• 1 can (500g) of whole cashews (don’t be cheap and get the pieces you’ll regret it)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil
• 1 tsp hot pepper seasoning (I use a dried, ground hot pepper medley that my Momma makes for me at her greenhouse, suckers. Regular chili flakes work fine, though you may want to up the dose - as my medley is super hot)
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp fish sauce 
• 1 cup uncooked rice (I like basmati, though I've used jasmine rice and even Minute Rice, in a pinch)

Steps:

1. Soak the rice in water if required. I typically soak my basmati rice for about 10-20 minutes before cooking. Just put it in a bowl and cover with water.
2. Cube chicken and brown in large sauce pan (e.g. a dutch oven, *insert fart joke here*) with garlic powder, salt and pepper, hot peppers and olive oil. Season to taste here guys. Like garlic, add more. Not a fan of super spicy food? Less hot pepper seasoning. 
3. Boil water in a medium sauce pan/pot and add rice. Add a few dashes of salt. Follow the instructions on the package for rice-to-water ratio and cooking time. 
4. Toss the can of cashews in with the chicken. Ensure you've got enough olive oil that things aren't drying up in there. Lube is your friend.
5. Add oyster sauce and fish sauce to 1/3 cup of water and mix. Beat it like it owes you money.
6. Once chicken is almost cooked through, add the onions and water/oyster/fish sauce and cover with lid, stir occasionally.
7. Once onions have softened and started to look a little translucent, remove from heat.
8. Serve rice on to plate with chicken/onions/cashews on top. Season with salt and pepper and additional hot peppers to taste.

         Serves 4.

That’s it. I’m not much of a wine drinker, but this pairs really well with a light glass of white wine; Pinot Grigio or something.

Eat up!