Gai Pad Med Mamuang (Thai Chicken & Cashew Stir Fry)

• 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ onion
• 2 spring onions
• ½ pepper
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 birdseye chillies
• 5-10 dried red chillies, soaked in hot water for 10-15 minutes
• 1 large chicken breast
• Handful roasted cashew nuts

The Marinade

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp cornflour

The Sauce

• 1 tbsp kecap manis
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar / palm sugar
• 100 ml chicken stock

• Slice your onion and pepper into large dices and then roughly chop the spring onions. Bash the garlic cloves, peel them and then roughly chop. Finely slice the chillies and keep the soaked dried chillies whole.

• Finely slice the chicken breast, place in a small mixing bowl and then mix ‘The Marinade’ well into the meat.

• Setup your wok clock starting at 12 O’clock with your onions, followed by the spring onions, garlic, pepper, chopped chillies and dried chillies, then the chicken breast and lastly the sauce.

• If the cashews are raw, then toast them for a minute or so in a dry wok or frying pan, taking care not to burn them by moving them around a little or tossing them.

• Heat 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok to a high heat and then place your marinated chicken in the wok and sear well on one side by pressing the chicken down into the wok with your spatula or ladle. Turn once and sear the other side of the chicken and then remove the chicken from the wok once all the pieces are browned well.

• Clean the wok out if need be and start to stir fry around the wok clock, starting with the onions and following around, leaving roughly 30 seconds to a minute between each additional ingredient. Once you have all your vegetables in the wok, add the half cooked chicken back in and continue to stir fry for a further 1-2 minutes.

• Now bring the wok to a smoking hot heat and then pour the sauce all around the wok and bring to a vigorous boil before starting to stir fry again. Stir fry for a last 1-2 minutes until the sauce has wrapped around the chicken, garnish with coriander and then serve.