Cashew Chicken on a Bed of Steamed Pak Choi

I was inspired to grow Pak Choi when we were out for Chinese food and experienced Cashew Chicken. It was so lovely and delicious that I decided to try and grow the Pak Choi and then copy the dish at home. It was chunks of chicken in a savory sauce with some vegetables and cashews served on a bed of steamed Pak Choi. Most of you are so experienced in the kitchen that you can make this up on your own from the above description but here is a recipe to guide you anyway.

1 cup water

1/4 cup Soya sauce

2 tbsp. dry white wine

4 tsp. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. hot pepper flakes

12 ounces skinless chicken breasts

2 tbsp. cooking oil

10 green onions, bias sliced into 1 inch pieces

1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms

4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly

1 cup cashews

1/2 cup water chestnuts

8 or more Pak Choi

In a bowl, stir together water, soya sauce, white wine, cornstarch and hot pepper flakes; set aside.

Rinse chicken; pat dry and cut into 3/4 inch strips or chunks. In a bowl stir together the chicken pieces and a scant amount (a few tbsp.) of marinade. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Drain chicken, discarding marinade.

Meanwhile wash Pak Choi thoroughly, cut in half or quarter depending on size and place in a large cooking pot with steamer basket. Steam till tender-crisp. When cooked, remove from steamer basket and arrange on a large platter.

While Pak Choi is steaming, pour oil into a wok or large skillet. (Add more oil if needed during cooking.) Preheat oil in wok over medium-high heat. Stir-fry green onions, mushrooms and garlic in hot oil for 1 to 2 minutes or till tender. Remove vegetables from wok; add marinated chicken pieces to hot wok and stir-fry for 2- 3 minutes or till no longer pink. Push chicken from center of wok and stir in remaining marinade. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Return cooked vegetables to wok. Add water chestnuts and cashews (reserving a few for garnish) and stir all ingredients together to coat. Cook and stir 1 minute more till heated thoroughly. Spoon onto bed of Pak Choi, sprinkle reserved cashews over chicken and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.