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Cashew Chicken with Sticky Rice

Course Main Course
Difficulty Low
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 3 people
Author Lorena Salinas from Cravings Journal

Ingredients

For the sticky rice

  • 1 1/2 cup long grain rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt

For the chicken

  • 600 g chicken breasts cut in 1.5-2cm cubes
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch or cornflour (UK)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Vegetable oil for cooking

For the broccoli

  • 200 g broccoli tips keep the stalks for soups and stocks, they're delicious!

For the cashew chicken

  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 120 g brown onion in small cubes
  • 2 garlic cloves grated or chopped finely
  • 20 g ginger grated finely
  • 150 g roasted cashews
  • 150 ml soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 spring onion, green part only finely sliced
  • Toasted sesame seeds
  • Chilli flakes to taste or optional

Instructions

For the sticky rice

  1. Place the rice in a fine colander and rinse it until the water runs clear.

  2. Place the rice in a pot along with the water and salt and mix.

  3. Place the pot over medium-high temperature until it starts to boil. Then lower the heat to a minimum, put a lid on it and let it cook. It will take 15-20 minutes. Open the lid and use a fork to fluff the rice up.

For the chicken

  1. Add salt and pepper to taste to the chicken as well as the cornstarch and mix.

  2. Preheat a wok or a pan over high heat and add a drizzle of vegetable oil.

  3. Add enough pieces of chicken so that they fill the base of the pan. Don't move them for a couple of minutes to get them golden. Once golden, flip them so they become golden on the other side, too.

  4. Remove the pieces of chicken and repeat the process until all of the chicken pieces are golden. It's not necessary to cook the chicken all the way through at this point because it will return to the pan later.

For the broccoli

  1. Place a small pot with water over high heat until it boils. Drizzle in a nice amount of salt.

  2. Once the water is in a rolling boil, add the broccoli and immediately lower the temperature until it's lightly simmering. This help to not overcook the tips of the broccoli.

  3. After 5-10min they should be al dente. You'll know by sticking the tip of a knife into the stalk. You will feel a bit of resistance.

  4. Remove them and reserve.

For the cashew chicken

  1. In the same pan where you cooked the chicken, reduce the heat to medium-low, add a bit of vegetable oil along with the sesame oil.

  2. Add the onion and cook it until soft, translucent and sweet in smell.

  3. Add the garlic and ginger and cook them for a minute.

  4. Add the cashews and the chicken from before and mix them in to warm them up.

  5. Add the soy sauce and brown sugar. Let it simmer until it thickens slightly. Add te broccoli and mix it in.

  6. Finish with the sesame seeds, spring onion and chilli flakes if you like them.