Cashew Chicken with Sweet and Spicy Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed ginger juice
• 1 level tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• 2cm piece of  ginger chopped
• 2 small onions cut in four  
• 250gr mushroom chopped
• carrot 2  medium
• zucchini 2 medium
• 1 red or yellow capsicum

Sauce:

• 1 tbsp   sesame oil optional - you can leave out and just sprinkle with plenty of sesame seeds at the end if you prefer
• 1 tbsp  Chinese rice vinegar,  white wine vinegar will work too
• 2 tbsp  honey
• 2 tbsp   sweet chilli sauce  use more or less depending on the brand and how spicy you like it
• 3 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tbsp soya sauce

• 1/4 cup cashews
• 1 1/2 cups stir-fry vegetables (mushroom, carrot , zucchini, red capsicum)
• 4 tablespoons oil for stir-frying (as needed)

Method

1. Roast the cashews in a heavy skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan continuously so that the nuts do not burn. Roast for 5 minutes, or until the cashews are browned. Remove from the pan.
2. Add the salt, rice vinegar  or sherry, ginger juice and cornstarch to the chicken cubes,   mix it in and adding the cornstarch last.
3. Marinate the chicken for 20 minutes.
4. Heat the wok  over medium-high to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic. Stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds).
5. Add the chicken cubes. Stir-fry until they change color and are 80 percent cooked through. Remove from the wok.
6. Add 2 tablespoons oil.  When the oil is hot, add the stir-fry ginger and onion for 2 minutes, remove and add vegetables. Stir-fry as needed, and then push up to the sides of the wok.
7. Add the sauce and the chicken. Heat everything through.

Serve the chicken and vegetables with the roasted cashews and the green onion as garnish