nancy@ms.uky.edu (Nancy Van Cleave) (04/11/91)
After spending much $$$ over the last few years at a local Chinese restaurant on Cashew Chicken, I devised the following recipe (which my husband now likes better than the original!) Cashew Chicken boneless chicken, cubed 1/4 Cup soy sauce 3 Tab Hoisin sauce 1 tsp chopped garlic 1 Tab sesame oil 1 1/2 tsp grated ginger root 3 Tab plum wine (or 1 T plum sauce) sliced mushrooms (optional) dry roasted, unsalted cashews 1 to 2 Tab cornstarch \ depends on how much marinade is left 2 to 4 Tab cold water / Marinate chicken at least 20 minutes in soy sauce, hoisin sauce, garlic, sesame oil, ginger root and plum wine. Cook over medium-high heat (or in microwave) until chicken is opaque. Add sliced mushrooms and cook, then add cashews. In a separate container, mix cornstarch with cold water, then add to cooked mixture, and heat until thickened. Serve with basmati rice if you have it, otherwise white rice will do. Easy Egg Drop Soup (ok, ok, it's not authentic, but it IS easy!) 1 can condensed Chicken Noodle soup 1 can chicken broth 1 to 2 Tab soy sauce 2 to 3 tsp sesame oil 1 egg, lightly beaten chopped green onions to garnish creamed corn, cooked chicken, ham, pea pods, etc. (optional) Heat soup, broth, soy sauce, sesame oil and any optional items in a saucepan. When boiling, drizzle in egg and stir in ONE DIRECTION ONLY. (The back and forth motion breaks up the egg "flowers" too much.) I usually thicken the soup just a bit with cornstarch, then serve garnished with green onions. (I've also been know to splash in some plum wine from time to time.) Thought you netters might like a few references for dim sum recipes. All but #2 contain other recipes as well. 1. Encyclopedia of Chinese & Oriental Cookery by Jennifer Brennan ISBN 0-7481-0090-3 published 1984 in Great Britain (reprinted 1988) Macdonald & Co (Publishers) Ltd 3rd Floor Greater London House Hampstead Road London NW1 7QX published 1984 by St. Martin's Press in the USA (bought this last May on our honeymoon in London - great memories!) 2. Favorite Dim Sum by Lonnie Mock (couldn't find an ISBN # - sorry) published 1979 Alpha Gamma Arts P. O. Box 4671 Walnut Creek, California 94596 (we were given this as a gift - friend bought it at a used book store.) 3. Dim Sum & Chinese One-Dish Meals by Jean Yueh ISBN 0-941034-05-4 published 1981 Irena Chalmers Cookbooks, Inc. (Part of the Great American Cooking Schools series.) 4. Chinese Cooking Class Cookbook by the editors of Consumer Guide ISBN 0-517-322455 published in 1980 by Beekman House A Division of Crown Publishers, Inc. One Park Avenue New York, NY 10016 (Excellent beginner's Chinese cookbook - good pictures and text.) 5. Chinese Cookery by Rose Cheng & Michele Morris ISBN 0-89586-088-0 published in 1981 by HPBooks A Division of Price Stern SLoan, Inc. 360 North La Cienega Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90048 (Haven't tried anything in this one yet, but it looks like a good bet!) 6. 1001 Chinese Recipes 8-( I've loaned this one to a friend, one of the most complete Chinese cookbooks you'll ever find! Nancy Van Cleave nancy@ms.uky.edu