Chicken with red chili and cashews (Kai Phat Met ma Muang)
Serves 4
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
10 small dried Japanese chilies
12 cloves garlic, pounded to a mash or crushed and chopped
3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices.
4 scallions, including the green tops, angle-cut into 2-inch pieces, bulbs cut in half
lengthwise.
1 small onion, sliced
2 tablespoons chili-tamarind paste (nam phrik pao)
1/4 cup chicken stock or canned chicken broth
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup whole roasted cashews
Sprigs of cilantro (optional)
Directions:
Place all of the ingredients except the hot sauce within easy reach of the cooking area..
Set a wok over medium-high heat. When it is quite hot, add the oil. Rotate the wok a bit so the oil coats the sides. When the oil is hot, add the chilies and stir-fry briefly, just until they deepen in color. Remove the chilies with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
Add the garlic and stir-fry briefly, just until golden and aromatic. Add the chicken, raise the heat to high, and stir-fry just until the chicken begins to lose its raw color and turn opaque, about 1 minute. Add the scallions and onion and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the chili-tamarind paste, chicken stock, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the fried chilies and cashews and stir-fry just until the scallions and onion are tender and cooked through, about 1 minute.
Transfer to a serving platter. Tear sprigs of cilantro over the dish if desired, and serve with plenty of steamed jasmine rice (khao hom mali).
(*Note: This recipe is reprinted with permission from True Thai: The Modern Art of Thai Cooking, by Victor Sodsook).