Stir-fried black long pepper chicken with cashew nuts

This chicken dish is a simple stir-fry dish where the pepper is dominant—the spicy, almost tongue-numbing pepper and the touch of sweet play beautifully with the chicken. The cashew nuts add a luxury feel to the otherwise common dish. This is a simple dish, but one that will disappear from the table quickly. You can serve it as a side with rice or Malay parathas, or wrap it in lettuce leaves for a fresher touch.

Malaysia: Recipes from a Family Kitchen is an excellent cookbook with very approachable recipes that highlight the region's flavours, techniques and dishes. Ping Coombes has compiled an amazing collection of recipes from her home kitchen and street stalls, putting together a definitive collection of the classics and flavours of the land. The traditional flavours emerge strongly, resulting in beautiful flavours. I need to cook from it a lot more!

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cut into very thin slices

2 teaspoons oyster sauce

2 tablespoons oil

 2 cloves garlic, minced 

2 teaspoons ground long peppercorns 

1 1/2 teaspoon jaggery or brown sugar

Salt, to taste

4 tablespoons water

1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts

Method:

Mix the chicken with the oyster sauce well, then let it marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil on low heat in a wok. Add the garlic and fry until light golden, about 2 minutes. Add the pepper and stir well.

Turn the heat to high. Add the marinated chicken with the juices, jaggery, salt and water. Cook over high heat for 3-4 minutes, until the chicken is dry and cooked through. Remove from the heat and add most of the cashew nuts, keeping a few for garnish.

Serve immediately, garnished with the remaining cashew nuts.