Cashew Chicken

This classic dish is lightened by using olive oil and no soy sauce (less fat and salt) and still packs incredible flavor! Chinese five-spice is a key flavor element here.

 

Ingredients (for four)

 

·         1 head broccoli florets (save the stems for broccoli soup!)

·         ½ head bok choy, chopped

·         1 can no salt baby corn

·         4 ounces cashew nuts

·         3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

·         8 ounces pea pods

·         6 ounces bean sprouts

·         6 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped

·         1 large onion, sliced thin

·         8 ounces mushrooms (Shitake, Portobello… your choice)

·         1 large can no-salt water chestnuts

·         1-2 tablespoons Chinese five spice (fennel, anise, cinnamon, cloves and ginger)

·         ½ teaspoon fresh ground sea salt

·         4 tablespoons olive oil

IMPORTANT NOTE: You’ll notice that I use olive oil for everything because it is the healthiest oil you can use. While peanut oil is more popular for frying, because of it’s very high smoke point , olive oil is also good for frying – just don’t let the oil go above 375 degrees or it will start to reach it’s smoke point. The smoke point is the point where oil starts to breakdown molecularly and can produce carcinogens – so just be careful with the heat and use a thermometer!

 

Equipment needed

 

·        A wok or large non-stick, bowl-shaped sauté

·        A large hand-held spider strainer (or large slotted spoon)

·        Various containers for prepped and cooked food

 

Preparation

It is very important when stir-frying food to have everything prepped in advance of when you start cooking! So, your first task is to chop and slice everything and separate by category – aromatics fast cooking veggies, slow cooking veggies, etc. Stir-frying is so called because you should be constantly stirring while frying. This is fast and furious cooking at its best with the object being to cook the chicken though while keeping the veggies as near a raw state as possible – every veggie should still have a crunch to it when you have the texture right.

·        
Pre-heat oil in wok to 375 degrees.

·         Add aromatics (onion and garlic) and stir-fry for 1 minute - remove from wok with spider and set aside

·         Add chicken chunks, season with some five-spice and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes or until cooked through – remove and set aside

·         Add broccoli and bok choy and stir-fry for 2 minutes

·         Add mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute longer

·         Remove broccoli, bok choy and shrooms and set aside

·         Add water chestnuts, bean sprouts, baby corn and pea pods, season with five-spice  and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, until heated through

·         Add all ingredients back into the wok, sprinkle with sea salt and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes, stirring all ingredients together.

Serve over brown rice with baked veggie spring rolls (pictured), your favorite red chili sweet sauce, a bottle of Sake and xiang shou 享受!

 

Nutrition

Each serving contains: 360 calories with 10g of total fat; 55mg of cholesterol; 250 mg of sodium; 30g of total carbohydrates and 33g of protein.