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Tuesday 3 April 2012

Chicken and cashew nut in black bean sauce with rice

Well, where to begin?  There are loads of things to do with chicken - but I am trying to expand my repertoire without spending anything - and had 2 x chicken breasts left over.  So, quick scout through the fridge and cupboards... and a chinesey vibe... Crushed fermented black beans with chili, garlic, ginger and peanut oil.  Cooked Thai rice using steam method ... ie. bring to boil in water to cover + 1.5 cm ... then out in medium oven to finish itself off.  Chopped spring onion, red onion, orange pepper, celery, sculpted carrot (you can't see on this pic - and victim didn't even notice, but I tried that fancy scalloped carrot slice thing!)  and some mushrooms - cooked in hot (couple of spoons) peanut oil - add crushed paste - add bite sized pieces of chicken breast - sautee.  After a couple of minutes of turning over add mug of water, tomato puree, soy sauce, rice wine and a good squirt of ketchup.  Stir again, and simmer for a a few minutes - add more water to make sure it has enough sauce (it might look a bit watery, but it will be thickened in a mo).  Simmer until chicken is done (pull a bit out and make sure it is cooked all the way through), season, add a handful of frozen peas and simmer for another couple of minutes.  Stir in slaked cornflour to thicken sauce & big handful of cashew nuts.  Stir through until thickened and all is hot.  Serve on rice.  I would have liked more dishes to present more of a feast, and a variety of flavours - but it is only Tuesday tea, after work - do people really find time to make 4+ dishes from scratch?  Victim was pleased it wasn't as horrid as last night (please see last night's post... the cheek!), and finished off seconds - USING CHOPSTICKS!  (have 3 portions for dinners, but am not sure that it will freeze very well... ).

Update:  it froze very well - had it for lunch today - the cashew nuts were chewier, but I quite liked the texture, and they were still sweet.

2 comments:

  1. Hello posted from my ipad

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  2. Hi Leila... fermented black beans are dryer and come in a plastic bag in a cardboard tube - and are used more as a flavouring than a main ingredient. If you have black beans you could use oyster sauce or yellow bean paste for a similar Chinese-y flavour.

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