Thai-Style Cashew Chicken

• 5-6 cloves garlic, whole slowly stir fried
• 3-4 chicken thighs, sliced in chunks
• 4-5 spring onions
• Handful flowering Chinese chives (the ones with the buds)
• 2 handfuls cashew nuts
• 10 dried red chillies
• 1-2 Thai birdseye chillies
• 1 large red chilli
• Coriander to garnish

THE MARINADE

• ½ tsp chilli powder
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• ½ tbsp fish sauce

The Sauce

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 ½ tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp palm sugar
• ½ ladle chicken stock / water
• ½ tsp dark soy sauce

• Add oil to the wok and get it to a medm to low heat. Slowly cook the garlic cloves whole for five to six minutes. While that is sizzling away, chop up the base vegetables. Take the end off the spring onions and sear for a bit of garnish, and roughly chop the greens into lengths. Place at the top of the wok clock. Soak the dry red chillies, split the Thai birdseye chillies, and chop the large red chili into rings for garnish. Place all the chillies second on the wok clock. Take the dry ends off the flowering chives and cut into lengths. Place third on the wok clock. Chop the chicken into chunks.

MARINADE THE CHICKEN

• Add the marinade to the chicken and massage in.

• Push down on the garlic cloves to see if they are soft, then remove from the wok and place them last on the wok clock. Pour the oil into a bowl and set aside. Add the cashews to the wok.Toast them until coloured on one side. While they are toasting, mix up the sauce (except the stock and soy sauce). Use some of this to caramelize the cashews until slightly charred. Set those aside. Get the wok to a high heat, then pour the garlic oil back in. Start with the spring onion whites, fry until charred and then take them out. Add more oil and stir fry the chicken. Once sealed, set the chicken aside. Now add the spring onion greens, then the chillies, then the chives, then the roasted garlic. Then the chicken goes back in. Now add the dark soy to the sauce and pour it over the top and flick through. Cook through until the sauce is wrapped around, then add a dash of stock. Let it boil vigorously, then add the cashews and leave a few aside for the garnish. Top with the spring onion whites, and coriander and enjoy!