Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and pound flat with the coarse side of a mallet. Soak in the BiCarb dissolved in 300ml of warm water for 40 minutes. Drain and thoroughly rinse. Marinate in rice wine, cornflour and sugar for 1 hour or more.

Peel and cut the carrot into half moon pieces and soak in boiled water to par cook.

Char the bell pepper and seal in a plastic bag 1 hour. Remove the skin and cut into lengthways strips. Cut the baby corn lengthwise in half. Slice the onion into pieces.

Mix together the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust to get a firm but fluid consistency.

Drain the chicken.

In a wok stir fry the vegetables 1 minute and add the chicken. Cook till most of the colour has changed. 2 minutes. Add the heated sauce and simmer 2 minutes. Add 100g of the cashew nuts and simmer 30 seconds.

Plate and top with 50g reserved cashew nuts.
300g Chicken Thigh meat
1 Tbs Bicarb in 300ml warm water

Marinade::
150ml Rice Wine
1 Tbs Sugar
1 Tbs potato starch

Vegetables::
1 Onion
1 can Baby Sweet corn
1 Bell Pepper
1 Carrot

Sauce::
45ml Oyster Sauce
3 cloves Garlic (minced)
50ml Rice wine
50ml white wine (Lambrusco)
1 Tbs Potato starch
250ml Chicken stock
Dashes Sesame oil
Pinchs Umami

150g Salted Cashews Nuts
        (50g reserved)
One of the most popular and enjoyable of all Chinese dishes. Quick and simple to cook. Really delicious. A thousand ways to do it. But the chicken, corn and cashews in a mild gravy are almost all you need. The onion, carrot and bell pepper are used sparingly to add colour and texture. I see a lot of recipes that use ginger and soy sauce. Incorrect. The exact wrong flavours.

Chicken thigh meat works best. But breast is also very good. Easier to get more uniform flat shapes. Get the sauce balanced. It's a mild gravy with basically a umami kick. Potato flour is a must. Cornflour works but does not produce the same body and gloss. Subtle is the right word. I use the liquid from the sweet corn can to make the stock. Simply add in a chicken stock cube.

Every takeaway puts the dish in the container and then adds uncooked cashews on top. Good trick and does add a crispy texture.


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image of Authentic Chinese chicken cashew

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