today's pick of the recipe pool, is one that i have personally made a couple of times. when bud and i lived in hong kong, one of the things that we fell in love with, was the cuisine. some of the best places to eat were little shops/holes in the wall. the food was usually very authentic and the atmosphere would add to the experience. it was never a dull moment. imagine, you're sitting on a bucket, drinking warm water, eating delicious soft flat noodles with chicken and veggies, when all of a sudden - a cat is rubbing up against your leg. most likely hoping to be thrown some scraps, even though i know that the cat is a shop cat, meaning its owned by the owner, in some fashion. its an amazing experience. and i know what you're thinking, how many times did you get sick from the food? the answer is short and sweet: never. i don't think i ever ate anything that made my stomach do flips or flops. the food pretty much always made me say om nom nom nom... and one of those foods is the one i chose for today. hong kong style - cashew chicken. we would get cashew chicken at top one noodle, in the shatin mall. i found this recipe and the first time i made it, we felt like we were back home in hong kong. i want to share this recipe with you today!
recipe: cashew chicken (腰果鸡丁)
ingredients
1 boneless/skinless chicken breast, about 10 oz. (cut into small cubes)
1/2 cup cashew nuts
1 small green bell pepper, about 4 oz. (cut into small pieces)
5 slices ginger
1/4 onion (cut into small square pieces)
marinate:
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp rice wine
sauce:
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (i didn't use this as my husband is allergic to fish)
3/4 tsp soy sauce (i used extra as a substitute for the oyster sauce)
3 tbsp water
3 dashes white pepper powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp rice wine (i used rice vinegar)
1/8 tsp sesame oil
salt to taste
method:
1. marinate the chicken meat with the baking soda for 15-20 minutes and then rinse the chicken thoroughly. (please make sure that the chicken is properly rinsed clean of the baking soda... if it's not, it can give a metallic gross taste to the chicken. the reason we marinate the chicken in this baking soda mixture is for 2 reasons: a) it causes the chicken to become extremely tender b) it rids the chicken of any kind of smell/odor a la chicken)
2. pat the chicken meat dry with paper towels and then marinate with the rest of the ingredients for 15 minutes.
3. mix the sauce together and set aside.
4. heat up a wok with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and stir-fry the chicken meat until the color turns white or half-cooked. dish out and set aside.
5. add another 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into the wok and add in the ginger slices, bell peppers, and onions.
6. stir-fry until you smell the peppery aroma from the green peppers and add the chicken back in.
7. add in the cashew nuts and do a few quick stirs.
8. add in the sauce and stir continuously until the chicken meat is cooked and well coated with the sauce. add salt to taste, dish out and serve the cashew chicken hot with steamed white rice.
recipe: cashew chicken (腰果鸡丁)
ingredients
1 boneless/skinless chicken breast, about 10 oz. (cut into small cubes)
1/2 cup cashew nuts
1 small green bell pepper, about 4 oz. (cut into small pieces)
5 slices ginger
1/4 onion (cut into small square pieces)
marinate:
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp rice wine
sauce:
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (i didn't use this as my husband is allergic to fish)
3/4 tsp soy sauce (i used extra as a substitute for the oyster sauce)
3 tbsp water
3 dashes white pepper powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp rice wine (i used rice vinegar)
1/8 tsp sesame oil
salt to taste
method:
1. marinate the chicken meat with the baking soda for 15-20 minutes and then rinse the chicken thoroughly. (please make sure that the chicken is properly rinsed clean of the baking soda... if it's not, it can give a metallic gross taste to the chicken. the reason we marinate the chicken in this baking soda mixture is for 2 reasons: a) it causes the chicken to become extremely tender b) it rids the chicken of any kind of smell/odor a la chicken)
2. pat the chicken meat dry with paper towels and then marinate with the rest of the ingredients for 15 minutes.
3. mix the sauce together and set aside.
4. heat up a wok with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and stir-fry the chicken meat until the color turns white or half-cooked. dish out and set aside.
5. add another 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into the wok and add in the ginger slices, bell peppers, and onions.
6. stir-fry until you smell the peppery aroma from the green peppers and add the chicken back in.
7. add in the cashew nuts and do a few quick stirs.
8. add in the sauce and stir continuously until the chicken meat is cooked and well coated with the sauce. add salt to taste, dish out and serve the cashew chicken hot with steamed white rice.
this is a lovely recipe. when you're done... it should kind of look like this.
it's amazing what food can do to you. when i ate this meal after having made it, it was as if it transported me back to my crowded restaurant, waiting to get my wonton soup while bud waits for his cashew chicken. food is a powerful tool, it provides strong memories (whether they be good or bad) and can always spark up a conversation.
-----
quick update: i'm feeling a lot better, still very tired and worn out. this sickness took a lot out of me. we are 7 episodes away from the end of buffy and its getting amazing and i'm loving it. it's going to be sad when its over, but thankfully we have lovely netflix, if i want, i can just watch it all over again! other than that, not much else to say right now. its late and i need to get to bed. love to you, all. goodnight.
I dislike Tasty Thursday Treats.... Im hungry now. boooooooooo