Thai-style chicken and cashew stirfry

Oh, Donna Hay, you're such a genius.

I've mentioned her before on this blog, and for good reason. Her recipes are simple and flavorful, and so far every single one of them has been a success for me. My favorites so far: baked risotto with chicken, peas, and mint; steaks and field mushrooms with garlic sauce; and her double chocolate cookies.

The actual title of this particular recipe was 'Chilli cashew chicken noodles', but once again I was unable to find suitable rice noodles (I really need to make a trip to the Asian supermarket). I looked closely at the recipe, however, and realized it would be adaptable to making it with jasmine rice on the side.

So here is her recipe, with my changes in parantheses:
200g dried thick rice noodles (omitted, simple jasmine rice used as alternative)
2 Tablespoons peanut oil
2 onions, sliced into wedges (I used red onions for color and flavor)
4 large red chillies, seeded and chopped (I used four dried red chillies, cut with scissors)
1/4 cup sugar
4 chicken breast fillets, sliced (I used chicken breast tenders)
1 red capsicum, sliced
3/4 cup roasted unsalted cashews
2 Tablespoons fish sauce (I used 2.5)
2 Tablespoons soy sauce (I used 3)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice (I used 3)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
(I also threw in some fresh green beans that had been softened in boiling water)

Heat the pan, and then add the peanut oil, onions, sugar, and chillies. The sugar melts and creates a homemade Thai chilli sauce--very clever! Once soft, remove onion mixture from pan, and add the chicken to brown. Add everything else back in, and stir until done. Serve with rice, and add some chopped cilantro to the top. Don't you just love how easy stirfry is?

The flavor was out-of-this-world good, with a great balance between sweetness, sourness, and saltiness. I had boosted the sauce components to make sure the rice would be coated, and it worked, as I felt that the amounts were just right. The leftovers reheated very well, too.

Score: 9 out of 10

Also, I need to start taking photos. I'm always in such a hurry to eat!