Instead of stir-frying the chicken, as is normally done, he deep-fried the chicken chunks. A plate of Springfield-style (deep fried) cashew chicken served with fried rice and an egg roll.īorrowing from the local love of fried chicken, Leong came up with a variation of the preexisting dish. Springfield even hosts an annual festival that is centered on this chicken dish: Springfield Sertoma's Cashew Craze. The dish became exceedingly popular in the Springfield area and is often cited as the unofficial "dish of the city". His famous deep-fried cashew chicken recipe was so popular he soon opened Leong's Tea House in Springfield. David Leong (1920–2020), a chef who moved to the United States from China in 1940, struggled to gain acceptance for the foods of his homeland so he began searching for a dish that would appeal to local residents' tastes. Deep-fried cashew chicken was apparently first served in 1963 at the Grove Supper Club in Springfield. The deep-fried version of the dish is closely associated with the city of Springfield, Missouri. Tender chunks of chicken are combined with crispy roasted cashews, vegetables and are tossed in a light sauce made from garlic, soy sauce and hoisin sauce, thinned with water. The traditional version of cashew chicken is stir-fried in a wok. It thickens in just 3 minutes and you don’t want it to burn.Įnjoy immediately over fluffy rice and garnish with sliced green onions.Cashew chicken ( Chinese: 腰果雞丁) is a Chinese-American dish that combines chicken (usually stir-fried but occasionally deep-fried, depending on the variation), with cashew nuts and either a light brown garlic sauce or a thick sauce made from chicken stock, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Don’t walk away from the stovetop during this time. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce evaporates and thickens. Add the sauce and cashews: Add the stir fry sauce and toasted cashews to the wok.Continue to cook and stir until the red pepper softens and the chicken cooks all the way through – about 3 minutes. Add the veggies: Add the sliced bell peppers, green onions, and crushed red pepper.Add the sliced chicken and cook until the outside is cooked. Cook chicken and onions: Add the onion and garlic to the wok, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally so the garlic doesn’t burn.If you don’t have a wok, a large sauté pan works great too. Carefully transfer the toasted cashews to a plate, reserving the oil in the hot wok. Toast the cashews until golden brown, stirring constantly so they don’t burn. Toast the cashews: In a large wok, add the sesame oil over medium-high heat.Red pepper flakes – For a nice kick! If you’re sensitive to heat, skip it.It takes the flavor of the sauce up a notch. Hoisin is naturally sweeter and thicker than soy sauce with a little bit of heat. Feel free to swap the brown sugar with honey, light agave, regular sugar, or maple syrup. Stir fry sauce – The cashew chicken sauce is made of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, and sesame oil.Don’t be afraid to let them turn a nice golden brown, but stir them so they don’t burn. If possible, use lightly salted or unsalted cashews, so the dish doesn’t get too salty. It intensifies their nuttiness and crunch. Cashews – Don’t skip toasting the cashews. They both sweeten and mellow in flavor as they cook. Aromatics – Garlic & onion create a depth of flavor you can’t achieve otherwise.If you’re chicken breasts are rather thick, pound them first before cutting them into strips. It’s important to cut them into 1-inch strips so they cook quickly without drying out. It’s hard to overcook a chicken thigh with it’s high fat content, but chicken breasts work fine too. Chicken thighs – I prefer dark-meat chicken thighs, because they’re forgiving in a hot skillet.
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