chicken, snow pea and cashew stir-fry

Any stir-fry is a perfect way to easily add more vegetables to a meal. Chicken, Snow Pea & Cashew Stir-Fry is a simple, Cantonese-inspired recipe that uses a handful (or two) of ingredients and has that authentic Chinese take-away flavor we’re so accustomed to enjoying. The trick with a stir-fry is to have all the ingredients prepped and ready, including the rice already cooking. High quick heat is required to produce a well-made stir-fry with the meat cooked and tender and the vegetables – in this case snow peas, cooked but still crisp. A can of water chestnuts thrown in last minute to heat along with a handful of roasted cashews adds the satisfying crunch. The shiitake mushrooms are the dried sort you can find in most supermarkets and always in Asian grocery stores. Don’t leave these out as they impart an earthy flavor and a soft, luxurious (squidgy) texture. The oyster sauce is a must, don’t consider leaving it out. It doesn’t taste fishy and I guarantee if you’ve ever eaten Chinese food before, you’ve had oyster – or oyster-flavored sauce is more correct, you’d have eaten oyster sauce, it is the base of many a stir-fry sauce. Cook the recipe as-is initially then feel free to swap out a different protein – shrimp are perfect in this recipe.