CHICKEN AND CASHEWS WITH COCONUT SATAY SAUCE AND COCONUT RICE

8 portions

INGREDIENTS:

• 300 g – 400 g chicken breast or thigh, , cut into small cubes
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 4 cm fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
• dash sesame oil
• 450 g coconut cream, , approx. 1 can
• water
• 400 g basmati rice, , you can use less
• sliced vegetables, , see tip section for my suggestions
• sesame seeds
• cashew nuts, raw
• 1 fresh chilli, , about a 1 inch size piece (more if you like it hot)
• fresh coriander
• handful of flat leaf parsley, , fresh
• 1 tsp rapadura or raw sugar, , optional
• 1 tbsp chicken stock paste, , can use vegetable stock instead

METHOD:

1. Place garlic and ginger into mixing bowl and chop 5 sec/speed 7. Scrape out of mixing bowl (using spatula) and mix with pre-cut chicken in a large bowl. Do not wash the mixing bowl.
2. Add a sesame oil and tamari or soy sauce to bowl with chicken, mix, cover with cling wrap and set aside.
3. Weigh coconut cream in the mixing bowl and add water up to 1100g.
4. Place lid on mixing bowl and set simmering basket on top of lid. Reset scales to zero and weigh rice in basket. Remove basket and lid from top of mixng bowl and rinse rice in the basket under tap. Place basket into mixing bowl and lock lid into place
5. Put Varoma into position and spread chicken out evenly within the tray to enable holes for the steam to come through. Steam 20 min/Varoma temp/speed 4.
6. While the chicken is steaming, prepare vegetables and place into Varoma as it heats up. Start chopping the firmer vegetables first and add them to the Varoma as soon as they are chopped to correct size. Leave softer vegetables (like capsicum, shallots, snow peas etc) until the end as they have a shorter cooking time. Make sure there are still holes visible for the steam to get through.
7. Over the top of the vegetables, sprinkle sesame seeds, cashew nuts and more sesame oil & tamari / soy sauce.
8. Once cooking time has finished remove the rice (place in ThermServer to keep warm). Stir the chicken and veges, breaking the chicken apart and again, making sure there are still holes unblocked for the steam to get through. Cook for further 5 – 10min/Varoma temp/speed 2 checking the chicken is cooked through. Once cooked, remove Varoma tray while you finish the sauce. (Tip: you can take off the ThermoServer lid with the rice init and sit the Varoma tray on top so they both stay warm)
9. To the mixing bowl (with coconut cream etc still in there) add a couple of handfuls of cashews, chilli, coriander / parsley, 2 garlic cloves, 2cm piece of ginger, couple more tbsp of soy / tamari sauce, rapadura sugar and chicken stock paste. Blend 1 min/speed 9. No need to measure just use your instincts, blend, taste and then adjust if necessary!
10. Serve immediately – rice, chicken and vegetables with cashews on top, and sauce drizzled over liberally.

TIP

The first 2 steps, marinating the chicken, can be done ahead of time for more flavour – but if you’re doing it all at the last minute it still tastes good!   My suggestion for the vegetables to use are:– thin wedges of onion– 2 celery sticks, leaves removed & thinly sliced– 2 carrots, thinly sliced– broccoli, cut into small pieces– green beans– chinese cabbage, thinly sliced– bok choy, thinly sliced– red / green capsicum, thinly sliced– snow peas– shallots, thinly sliced