Cashew Chicken

This is the cashew chicken dish I served when I owned my restaurant. It's adapted from "The Chinese Menu Cookbook" by Hush and Wong.

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 lb chicken breast, diced

• Marinade

• 1  egg
• 1  tablespoon cornstarch
• 1  tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1  tablespoon dry sherry
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

• For frying

• 1  cup  vegetable oil, about

• Vegetables

• 1⁄2 cup  diced water chestnut
• 1⁄2 cup  diced green pepper
• 1⁄2 cup  diced fresh mushrooms
• 2  tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1⁄2 cup  toasted cashews
•  chicken stock, as needed
• 3 -5  drops  sesame oil

Directions

1. *Hoisin sauce is available in Asian markets.
2. It's made with beans, flour, garlic, etc.
3. This is the stuff they serve with mu shu pork that they call plum sauce.
4. It is, in fact not plum sauce and doesn't look or taste anything like plum sauce.
5. Marinade (10- 20 minutes).
6. Sub other vegetables if you want.
7. Heat the oil in wok; carefully add chicken and stir unti just cooked.
8. (This shouldn't take more than 90 seconds to two minutes).
9. Remove to a sieve and let the oil drain into a bowl.
10. Reheat the wok and add a tablespoon or two of the oil.
11. Stir fry the vegetables until just cooked.
12. Return chicken; stir in hoisin adding a little chicken stock if too dry.
13. Stir in nuts& sesame oil.
14. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
15. Note: this dish doesn't have a lot of gravy, just the hoisin that coats the chicken and vegetables.