Cashew Chicken with Broccoli.

This is an easy stir-fry you can whip up in a wok with minimal effort. I personally love the contrast of textures between the firm and crisp cashew, the tender chicken and the soft broccoli.

The best part is that you just need:

• Some cashews, about a fistful per serving
• Some chicken, one breast or thigh per person 
• Some broccoli, one large flower is good for three servings
• A bit of soy sauce, or teriyaki sauce, or any other stir-fry sauces you can find 

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Each type of sauce adds a different flavour, and you can be the scientist and mix-and-match different amounts of each sauce until you find one combination that you like.

Lets start with the cashews; with a little bit of vegetable oil in a wok, add a fistful of cashews for each person. If you really like cashews (as I do), feel free to add more! I like to add a bit of chilli powder and salt at this stage; if you are extremely adverse to spice, then skip the chilli. You can also add some paprika for some nice colour without the spice.

Roast them for about 3 minutes and then keep moving them around in the hot wok. We just want to get them nicely browned, then take them out and set them aside. We will use the oil in the wok for the chicken, so let it rest in there.

Next, lets cut the broccoli into manageable pieces and toss out the stem.

I used chicken thigh meat and chopped it up, you can use thighs or breasts as you like. Chop up the chicken and toss it in the wok on medium-high heat until it gets nicely browned.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the broccoli and cashews.

Now toss the pile around to get all the flavours mixed in, and at this stage you can add your sauces. Generally, add no more than one or two tablespoons of soy or teriyaki sauce per serving. Keep the heat up when you add the sauce; don't get scared if it starts sizzling!

When you have added your sauces, reduce the heat to medium-low and let it sit for a few minutes, to soften the broccoli. I always like to raise the heat to high at the very and for a quick toss in the wok and a final crisping of everything.

And finally, serve over rice.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Shyamal Addanki