Thai chicken with cashews and chilies

Don't mind the basil in every photo . 

I told myself to blog more often and this month is my not too lazy month .

8 post in total - I need a pat in the back lol 

Maybe I should try to post at least 4 times a week ....

Ha ! 

If only there's 3 of me - one to cook and wash all the cooking/baking paraphernalia , one to take photos and one to write the effin blog post *sigh*

Well , at least if you're just a one-woman show , you'll be the only one to eat all the goodies , right ?!

I've got loads of recipes that I want to try and only a month left before we say good bye to this eventful year .

Thai food is my current favorite , besides its wonderful flavor , it is easy to cook as well .

Take this dish for example , it'll take you under 15 minutes to cook it , preparation is the key - no using any mobile device while cooking or if you're using it to check the recipe , no detour to any other sites ^_____^'' 

About this dish , 'twas not spicy at all , you would think that with 8 whole chilies in there , it'll came out spicy , I should have cut it in half , good thing that there's always my dependable standby , homemade chili sauce .

So , what's your favorite Thai food ?

Recipe adapted from Quick and Easy Thai


My modification in green

2 large dried red chilies , each cut into 4 pieces or 6 to 8 small dried red chilies
3/4 pound boneless chicken thigh or breast , cut into bite-sized chunks 350 grams 
1 medium onion , cut into chunks , about 1 cup 1/2 cup 
1 small yellow bell pepper , cut into bite-sized pieces
1 stalk spring onion , cut into 1 1/2-inch slices 
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons soy sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce + 1 teaspoon kecap manis ( sweet soy sauce )
1/2 teaspoon homemade chili sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar omitted this 
1/2 cup dry-roasted salted cashews DIY pan-fried cashews 

To cook cashews ( Prepare this few hours ahead ) :  Soak cashews  in a cold water for 15 minutes then rinse and drain . Put in a colander and let stand for an hour . You can either deep-fry or pan-fry it with about 3 tablespoons of oil depending on how much cashews you're going to cook , I used 3/4 cup cashews , just adjust the oil  , until golden brown , drain in a paper towel . Extra cashews can be stored in an airtight jar for future use .

* In a wok or a skillet , heat some oil , over medium heat , for 1 minute then add chilies , cook and stir for 1 minute , letting them to darken a bit . Scoop out chilies and set aside .

* Increase heat to medium-high and add chicken , cook until it changes color , 1 to 2 minutes ( 4 minutes ) . Add the onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes ( 3 minutes ) until onion softens a bit and chicken is cooked through . Toss in bell pepper and cook for few seconds . Add fish sauce , water , soy sauce kecap manis and sugar  , mix well . Add the cashews , chili sauce , sliced spring onion and chilies and cook for 1 minute , stirring well to combine . Transfer to a serving platter , sprinkle with extra cashews and serve hot or warm .

This post is linked to the bloghop event Asian Food Fest : Thailand hosted by Lena of Frozen Wings


                                                       

Also at Cook your Books hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours