Sichuan-style Chicken with Cashew Nuts

This recipe comes from the Nintendo DS title: “Cooking Guide: Can’t Decide What to Eat?”. While it looks like a lot of steps, don’t be overwhelmed – this dish is easy enough to prepare, and the reward is one damn tasty meal. Can’t wait to make this one again and again!

Makes 4 servings
396 calories
~25 minutes cooking time
Serve by itself, or with rice.

Ingredients:

• 400g whole chicken leg (boneless) –> (or chicken thighs)
• 40g unsalted cashew nuts
• 200ml cooking oil
• 1/2 onion
• 60g small green capsicum
• 60g small red capsicum
• 2 red chillies
• 10g ginger
• 40g spring onions
• 1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper –> (black pepper does the trick, it’s just a garnish)

Seasoning:

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons saké
• 1 1/3 tablespoon potato starch –> (or corn flour)

Mixed Seasoning:

• 2 2/3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons saké
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar –>(white wine vinegar)
• 2 tablespoons Chinese chicken stock –> (or any chicken stock is fine)
• 1 teaspoon potato starch –> (corn flour or plain flour)

PREPARATION:

1. Put the cashew nuts into a small bowl and add the 200ml of cooking oil. Leave them to soak for 20minutes
2. Peel and chop the onion into 2cm squares
3. Remove seeds and stalks from capsicums, cut them into 1cm squares
4. Remove the seeds from the chillies, cut then into thin rings
5. Peel and cut the ginger into ~5mm squares
6. Cut the spring onions into 2cm lengths
7. Cut the chicken into 2cm chunks

Seasoning the Chicken

1.  Put the chicken in a mixing bowl, and mix in 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of saké
2. Add 1 1/3 tablespoon of potato starch (corn flour) and mix them all together well

Mixing the Seasoning

1. In a small bowl, add 2 2/3 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons each of rice vinegar (white wine vinegar), saké and sugar.
2. Stir in 2 tablespoons of chicken stock, stir it in
3. Stir in 1 teaspoons of potato starch (corn flour) and mix it thoroughly

COOKING:

1. Prepare a bowl lined with paper towel to soak up oil
2. Put the cashew nuts and the oil they were soaking into a frying pan, and place it on a low heat
3. Deep-fry the cashew nuts until they are lightly browned.
4. Transfer the cashew nuts into the prepared bowl and set aside, allowing the paper towel to soak up the excess oil
5. Pour out some of the oil in the frying pan (or pour it all out and use 2 tablespoons of fresh oil)
6. Place the frying pan over a moderate (medium) heat, and add the chicken
7. Fry the chicken until it is lightly browned
8. Add the onion, spring onion, ginger and red chilli, and fry them briefly
9. Add the capsicums
10. Add the cashew nuts, and fry them briefly
11. Stir the mixed seasoning in the small bowl thoroughly again, then add it to the frying pan.
12. Once the mixture has thickened, turn off the heat
13. Transfer it to servings plates, srinkle some Sichuan (or black) pepper, and EAT IT!