This recipe is quick cooking. You can seriously be done and eating in 20 minutes if you rocket through the prep work. Thirty minutes is a more conservative time. For two growing boys, this will give you two huge helpings and leave enough for another serving later. I think it's intended to be for four normal eaters.
Cashew Chicken
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
1-2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
½ jalapeno pepper, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch, ginger root, minced
2 TB, sesame oil
2 TB, sherry or red wine vinegar
3 TB, hoisin sauce (see Fast Fact below)
2-3 shakes of red pepper flakes
1-2 handfuls of cashews, unsalted preferred (see Special Note below)
Rice, use the type that you like best
Prepare rice according to directions.
Prepare the chicken, carrots, bell pepper, garlic and ginger root. Thinly slice the chicken into strips. Place the chicken in a bowl with 1 TB of sesame oil, sherry, red pepper flakes, garlic and ginger. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Thinly slice as the carrots and bell pepper. This is a quick cooking recipe and you’ll want to make sure these items cook to the required doneness in a short period of time. I used baby peeled carrots, sliced lengthwise, in quarters. The pepper was cut into strips from top to bottom.
Swirl 1 TB of the sesame oil into a pan or wok set over high heat. Add the carrots and sauté for two to three minutes. Add the chicken and sauté for about five minutes, until cooked through. Add the jalepeno and green peppers. Cook one more minute. Stir in hoisin sauce and cashews, warm for one minute. Serve with rice.
Make sure to start the rice first, if using a slow cooking type of rice, wait to start the chicken until you have approximately 10 minutes left on the rice. If you start the rice later, you will be waiting for it when the chicken is done.
FAST FACT:
Hoisin Sauce: A rich, dark, sweet barbecue sauce made of soy beans and seasonings, used in Chinese cooking for marinades and basting. Hoisin sauce is easily recognizable in Mu Shu pork and Peking duck. The sauce is made from soybean flour, chiles, red beans, and many other spices. Sold in cans or jars. Store tightly sealed, refrigerated. It is also known as Peking sauce.
SPECIAL NOTE:
If you are serving and anticipate eating the whole amount, prepare as directed. If you plan on saving some for leftovers, don't add the cashews until you do. They do not hold up well in the sauce and get rubbery. Ick. Just add them as more of a 'garnish' after you heat the dish back up.
Pictures Added 9/21/06
More pictures here:
With Orange Peppers
With Green Peppers