Chicken and cashew nuts

 

 

Quick, easy to cook and delicious in equal measures. Just as tasty and far healthier than your local Chinese. This has always been one of my favourite takeaway dishes, and this version beats my local Chinese takeaway hands down.

 

 

 

 

Whats needed

For marinade:

2 diced chicken breasts

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1 teaspoon of five spice

1 teaspoon of schezwan rice wine

Ground black pepper

 

For the main dish

4 cloves garlic

thumb sized piece of ginger

1-2 tablespoons wok oil

A red pepper

1-2 handfuls of bean sprouts

1-2 handfuls of cashew nuts

2 nests of medium egg noodles

2 teaspoons corn flour (dissolved in 50ml warm water)

1 carrot

1 small tin of sliced water chestnuts

1 teaspoon of five spice

2-3 spring onions

1 stick celery

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Fresh coriander leaf to garnish

 

Preparation

1. mix the marinate ingredients in a large bowl, then add the diced chicken. Put in the fridge for 1-2 hours before cooking (longer if possible)
2. Chop the vegetables as indicated in picture below, add to a large bowl along with the cashew nuts.
3. Finley chop the ginger and the garlic and keep aside in a small ramekin.

 



 



 

 

 

Get cooking

1. start by cooking your noodles in a large pan of salted water, drain then set aside to add to dish.
2. Use tongs to remove the chicken from the marinade (retain the marinade in bowl).  Add a little oil and fry in a hot wok until the chicken has been browned. Remove the chicken with clean tongs  and add to a separate bowl.
3. Add the chopped garlic and ginger then fry for 1-2 minutes until aromatic. Make sure you do not burn, remove wok from heat if necessary.
4. Add the contents of the vegetable bowl, fry for 1-2 minutes on high heat.
5. Next add the browned chicken and stir fry for just over a minute.
6. Next add the marinade to the wok and stir. After just under 1 minute add the corn flour (dissolved in water) and continue to str fry for a further minute. Add one teaspoon of five spice and one teaspoon of sugar.
7. Add in the cooked noodles and heat through, it is ready once the noodles are hot.
8. Serve and garnish with fresh coriander. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travel gallery - Koh Samui

Travel gallery- Hua Hin

 

 

2 hours drive south of Bangkok lies the Thai beach resort of Hua Hin. Long a Favourite escape from Bangkok for the Thai royal family, it contains a large palace complex on its outskirts. It is possible to visit this if the royal family are not in residence, unfortunately they were when I visited. The resort tends to be busier at the weekend as it attracts wealthy Thai people from Bangkok looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

 

 There are a number of large luxury hotels, three different night markets, a wide variety of good restaurants, temples, shopping malls, Thailand's oldest railway station as well as the long sandy beach. It is also a good base to visit one of the National parks south of Hua Hin as we did by boat.