proper care and feeding of a Taiwanese husband

People ask me all the time what kind of food I cook for Lawrance.  They want to know if we eat Taiwanese food or American food.  My answer is not simple: To Taiwanese, we eat what looks like western food, but to Americans we eat what looks like Asian cuisine.  It is our own unique fusion of east meets west.

I’m slowly learning the art of stir-fry.  I’m learning tricks to the trade and figuring out how to make things we both love.  And, I’m always on the lookout for new recipes to try to see how we’d like them.

Last week, I made this:

And it was a homerun!  Simple and delicious!  Yay for another dish to be part of our regular rotation.

I call it YaoGua JiDing with Peppers (aka Cashew Chicken with Peppers).  It’s not quite really “cashew chicken,” but it does have cashews and chicken in it.

Ingredients

·         5 tsp cornstarch

·         3 Tbs soy sauce

·         4 tsp apple cider vinegar

·         2 tsp rice wine vinegar

·         1.5 tsp sugar

·         1 tsp hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

·         1 pound chicken breast tenders

·         1 yellow bell pepper

·         1 red bell pepper

·         2-4 cloves garlic

·         1 tsp fresh ginger

·         1 stalk of green onions

·         1/2 cup unsalted cashews

·         2 Tbs coconut oil (I use coconut, you can use oil of your choice)

Directions

1.     Combine 2 tsp cornstarch, 2 Tbs soy sauce, and next 4 ingredients (through hot pepper sauce) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk or chopsticks.

2.     Slice the two bell peppers, mince the garlic and ginger, and cut the green onions.

3.     Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Combine 3 tsp cornstarch, 1 Tbs soy sauce, and chicken in a medium bowl; toss well to coat.

4.     Heat wok over medium heat.

5.     Add cashews to pan to lightly toast, stir frequently. Remove from pan.

6.     Add oil to pan. Add chicken; stir-fry but don’t cook all the way (about 85% done). Remove almost cooked chicken from pan; place in a bowl.

7.     Add bell pepper to pan and stir-fry about 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger; cook 30 seconds.

8.     Add the almost cooked chicken and the sauce (made in #1); cook until sauce is slightly thick (about 1 minute).

9.     Sprinkle with the toasted cashews and green onions. Turn mixture over a few times then serve.

One of the keys to stir-frying is to prep EVERYTHING before you get started.  Once you start, there is no turning back because it all happens so quickly once you get started. That is why I now include the prep in my recipes (#2 & 3) above.

This took me a little less than 30 minutes from start to finish my first time making it.  It made about four servings.