Make Your Own Chinese Takeout

Over the last few years my once-upon-a-time obsession with finding the best “strip mall” Chinese food restaurant has evolved into trying and/or creating the best Asian restaurant knock-offs in my own kitchen.  I have prepared a number of recipes, everything from steamed dumplings and spring rolls to coconut shrimp soup and crispy orange beef.   Some were just okay, and some were great. This Cashew Chicken was one of the best. It has permanently made its way into our meal rotation. (Cashew Chicken is considered American-Chinese food, because it is a recipe made popular by the Chinese restaurants in the United States.)

Sure, preparing takeout favorites at home lacks convenience and certainly generates dirty dishes. However, the upside is that you can control the quality of ingredients used and the amount of salt and fat added to the recipes. Best of all, if it turns out great, you can pat yourself on the back for providing a healthy, delicious meal for your family from scratch!

In my quest for the perfect Cashew Chicken, I discovered Bee Yin Low, the author of “Easy Chinese Recipes”, a cookbook that will be released in the U.S. in September of 2011. Her website,  Rasa Malaysia, is full of wonderful recipes and tips for preparing Asian cuisine. She contends that “Chinese cuisine–when done right–is pleasing, subtle, delicate, satisfying, and a great treat to the taste buds. However, most Chinese restaurants in the United States have pretty much butchered Chinese food and turned one of the greatest cuisines in the world into something vaguely recognizable–gooey, starchy, sticky, greasy, and downright unappetizing–one that is certain to leave a bad taste in the mouth of many diners.”

The biggest surprise in this Cashew Chicken recipe is the use of baking soda to create super tender bites of chicken. According to Rasa Malaysia, baking soda is the secret weapon used by many Chinese restaurants and chefs to make beef, chicken, or pork tender. I believe that she used the word "silky" to describe the texture of meats treated with baking soda. I'd never thought of it that way, but it's a good description.  I've pondered the “silky” texture of chicken when eating Chinese takeout before. Now I know the secret.  

I have to say that this dish is better and decidedly less “greasy” than any takeout Cashew Chicken I have ever spooned out of a little white takeout box.  The flavors and textures were just perfect. 

Cashew Chicken adapted from Rasa Malaysia

Ingredients:

1 boneless & skinless chicken breast, about 10 oz. (cut into small cubes)
1/2 cup cashew nuts
1 small green bell pepper, about 4 oz. (cut into small square pieces)

2-3 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces

8 oz. white mushrooms, quartered
5 slices ginger
1/4 onion (cut into small square pieces)

Marinate:

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon corn starch
1/2 teaspoon rice wine

Sauce:

1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
3/4 teaspoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons water
3 dashes white pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt to taste

For a thicker sauce:

Mix 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch with an equal amount of cold water. Stir into the skillet and heat until thickened.

Method:

Marinate the chicken meat with the baking soda for 15-20 minutes and then rinse the chicken thoroughly. (Please make sure that the chicken is properly rinsed clean of the baking soda.) Pat the chicken meat dry with paper towels and then marinate with the rest of the ingredients for 15 minutes.

Mix the sauce together and set aside.

Heat up a wok with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and stir-fry the chicken meat until the color turns white or half-cooked. Dish out and set aside.

Add another 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into the wok and add in the ginger slices, bell peppers and onions. Stir-fry until you smell the peppery aroma from the green peppers. Stir in the mushrooms and cook for another minute or two.  Add the chicken meat back in. Add in the cashew nuts and do a few quick stirs.

Add in the sauce and stir continuously until the chicken meat is cooked and well coated with the sauce. Stir in cornstarch and water for a thicker sauce.  Add salt to taste, dish out and serve the Cashew Chicken hot with steamed white rice.

Note: I usually double or triple this recipe so that we have leftovers.

Happy cooking!

Find lots more recipes and meal ideas on Krista's blog.