Chili chicken with Thai basil and cashews

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 750 g chicken breast fillet(s), cut into strips
• 2 stalks of lemongrass, only the white part, finely chopped
• 3 chili peppers, red, fresh, pitted and finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 2 coriander roots, fresh, finely chopped (alternatively: fresh leaves)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 100 g cashew nuts
• 1 ½ tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 ½ tbsp palm sugar, grated (alternatively brown sugar)
• 60 g fresh Thai basil
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp water (dissolve cornstarch in it)

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

In a large bowl, mix the meat with the lemongrass, chili pepper, garlic, ginger, and coriander root. Preheat a wok over medium heat and toss with 1 tablespoon of oil. Brown the cashews for 1 minute until lightly browned. Remove from the wok and drain. Heat the remaining oil in the wok. Fry the meat in batches over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Return all the meat to the wok. Add the lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, and basil; heat for 30-60 seconds, until the basil just begins to collapse. Add the cornstarch and cook the resulting sauce down while stirring. Add the cashews. Serve with rice or Asian noodles. TIP: (I read this in my herbalism book) If you can’t find fresh Thai basil, regular basil and some fresh mint will also work.