Cashew Chicken

Cashews go on sale at this time of year and can be had for as little as $10/kg at Walmart. If you're in Canada, buy the unsalted ones which are considered not ready to eat so there is no tax.

I told Fern I was making cashew chicken yesterday but I came home with pork instead. He had just finished bragging to his friends what we were having so he was disappointed to say the least. Needless to say there was no question about what to make tonight. 

I boned two breasts and put the bones in a pot of water with an onion, a carrot, stick of celery and a bay leaf. Bring to a rapid boil and skim the foam off the top. The foam makes the stock cloudy, spooning it out right at the start creates a beautiful clear stock. Once the foam is gone, turn the heat down to a simmer. A total of 30 minutes cooking time is enough for the stock.

I started out with the carrots, frying them a bit in vegetable oil. hen the mushrooms went in the get a little sear.  Next the onion to sweat and the celery and green pepper to soften up.  I removed it all from the pan before it was quite done and put it in  a bowl on the side.  

The chicken was diced up and seasoned with a little salt, then coated with flour. I added some extra oil to the pan and a bit of sesame oil before putting the chicken in. I got a nice sear all around on the chicken then added a bit less than a quarter cup of that wonderful chicken stock. That boiled immediately so I added a bit of soy sauce.  I put the vegetables back in and added the cashews.  Once it was all cooked I served it over rice.  

Fern remarked repeatedly on how good it was while eating a little faster than usual. I think it was better than I remember the restaurant version being. Making the chicken stock with love is what makes this dish come alive.