I really have a love-hate relationship with Americanized Chinese food.

Most of the time, the food comes from forgettable joints that use the same plastic placards from the same 1980s catalog of florescent food photos. The gooey sauces, soggy bite-sized fried meat, and liberal use of MSG will remind me why I only eat that stuff once every six months. 

But then, there are moments that remind me why Chinese-American food has thrived for the last century. My nostalgic obsession with one kosher Chinese restaurant in Brookline, MA, has already been well documented on this blog. And there is, of course, the ease of eating.

I will probably take a lot of flack for saying this, but whatever: some days I just don't want to deal with bones. I just want to be lazy and eat my bite-sized chicken or pork or beef and not have to find a separate plate for inedibles. No matter how easy that plate may be to retrieve. The ingenuity of this hybrid cuisine is that it appeals to an American's innate laziness, even if that American happens to also write about and teach Chinese cooking. 

So it saddens me (and this goes back to the hate part) that so many stir-fry dishes get messed up. Unlike with General Tso's chicken, for example, chefs don't have to wrestle worry about crispiness or even a more complicated sauce. With something like cashew chicken, it's a matter of just marinating your chicken to allow the flavors to seep into the meat.

Also, the cashews. I like to use salted roasted cashews because they go in right at the end, to not get soggy. A minute of cooking time is not long enough to have the cashews absorb any of the sauce. (But then again, I come from a culinary background, and cooks like to salt everything.) Whether you use salted roasted, unsalted roasted, or raw cashews is just a personal preference. 

Cashew chicken should also not have enough gluey cornstarch to make your dish look like a kindergartener's art project. It actually doesn't need cornstarch at all, if you allow your reserved sauce to thicken a little.  

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Chinese Cashew Chicken

Serves 4

1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablesoon white rice wine
2 teaspoons chili sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
2 gloves garic, finely chopped
2 to 3 scallion stalks, chopped
1 handful roasted salted cashews (or substitute unsalted)
Cilantro for garnish (optional)

Place the chicken cubes in large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, rice wine, chili sauce, and sesame oil. Divide the mixture in half. Reserve one half and set aside. Pour the other over the chicken and stir a little so all the chicken cubes are coated. Allow the chicken to marinate in the fridge for at least 20 minutes (2 to 3 hours is ideal, to let the flavors seep in more.)

Heat oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, or right when the ingredients begin to get aromatic but before they brown.

Add the chicken and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, or just until the meat is no longer pink on the outside.

Add the rest of the sauce that you had set aside and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken. Throw in the scallions and cashews. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Serve over rice.

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Other chicken recipes to try:

Spicy Wok-Fried Chicken with Chili (Lazi jiding)

General Tso's Chicken

Chicken Lollipops

Kung Pao Chicken

Spicy Chicken in Black Bean Sauce

Three Cup Chicken

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