Bang Bang Chicken

PROCESS:

You may use either a saute pan, a sauce pan or wok to create this dish. You should have all the ingredients ready and close by BEFORE you start cooking to avoid overcooking. I think a wok works best to seal in the flavors if you can get it hot enough without setting off the fire alarm!

Heat your wok or pan add the oil and swirl it around to coat. Add the chicken, toss or stir the ingredients with a wok spatula or wooden spoon. Cook until the outside of the chicken is seared, one to two minutes. Add onions, garlic, peppers, broccoli, water chestnuts, jalapeños and cashews.

Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sambol, stir to combine the ingredients. Dissolve the green curry in a small amount of water or coconut milk and add it to the wok with the remaining coconut milk. Simmer until the chicken is cooked completely. Turn off the heat and add the fresh whole basil leaves. Pour into a bowl and serve with steamed Jasmine rice.

This heat level for this recipe will be about medium; add a little less curry for mild heat. If you want the dish hotter, add some of these following ingredients: Sambol (Vietnamese chili sauce), dried red Thai chilies (Prik Khee Noo), jalapeño peppers or red chili flakes.

* Be sure to dissolve the green curry paste in water or coconut milk before adding to the dish

* Add the basil at the end of cooking so the flavor stays bold.

* You may substitute cilantro for basil if you prefer.

* you can also make bang bang pork, or shrimp

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 pound chicken breast

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 red bell pepper, julienne

1 green bell pepper, julienne

1/2 onion, julienne

1 cup broccoli, florets

1/4 cup whole cashews

1/4 cup water chestnuts

sliced jalapeno peppers

2 teaspoons sambol

1 teaspoon fish sauce

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoons Thai green curry,

1 can coconut milk

24 large basil leaves