GRETCHEN MCKAY

Pittsburgh PostGazette

Is there anything that hits the spot better on a busy school night or over-scheduled weekend than takeout Chinese food?

It's fun to eat, and usually it's quick from counter to table, with minimal cleanup because it comes with the requisite rice. And who doesn't love learning their fortune -- good or bad -- after breaking open the crisp and sugary wafer cookie that's always included with an order? Yet with a little planning and some modest knife skills, it can be almost as easy to make your favorite Chinese takeout dishes at home.

This saucy cashew chicken stir-fry is but one example. Both the marinade for the chicken and the garlicky sauce it's dressed in take less than a minute to whip together, and it presents an opportunity to use up any celery you've forgotten about in the refrigerator crisper.

Even better, it stretches a pound of chicken breast into four servings -- maybe more, if you add additional vegetables and pile it on top of a big bowl of rice -- in a sizzling hot fl ash.

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And no, you don't need a wok to cook it. Any large, nonstick skillet can be used to stir fry so long as you make sure to cut your ingredients into small, bite-size pieces and don't overcrowd the pan while cooking; you want the meat to sear and not steam.

As with any stir-fry, you'll want to be sure to prep all of your ingredients ahead of time and have them lined up next to the stove, since cooking will go very quickly. Your first step should be starting a pot of rice on the stove or in a rice cooker, as it takes 20 minutes to cook and you don't want to leave your family waiting for delivery.

Cashew chicken

Servings: 4

For marinade

■ 2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

■ 2 tablespoons water

■ 1 tablespoon soy sauce

■ 2 teaspoons cornstarch

■ ½ teaspoon sugar

■ ½ teaspoon salt

■ 1 pound chicken breast or tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes

For sauce

■ 2 tablespoons soy sauce

■ 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

■ 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

■ 1 heaping teaspoon garlic chili crisp

■ 1 teaspoon sesame oil

For stir-fry

■ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

■ 2 cloves garlic, chopped

■ 1-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced

■ ½ cup chopped celery

■ ½ medium onion, chopped

■ 1 cup dry-roasted, salted cashews

■ 3 tablespoons chopped green onion

■ Cooked rice, for serving

Directions

Prepare marinade for chicken: In a medium bowl, stir together rice wine, water, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar and salt until cornstarch is dissolved.

Add chicken chunks and stir gently to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes.

Prepare sauce: In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, rice wine, oyster sauce, chili crisp and sesame oil. Set aside while you prepare stir-fry.

Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat (a bead of water should dance around and then evaporate on contact).

Add oil and swirl to coat the base. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

Add celery and chopped onion, and stir-fry until the onion starts to become translucent, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add marinated chicken and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until no longer pink on the outside but not yet cooked through.

Pour in sauce and stir to coat the chicken. Let sauce simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken and allow the chicken to cook through.

Add cashews and chopped green onion and give it a quick stir to combine.

Transfer to a plate or bowl, and serve.

-- Adapted from "Chinese Takeout Cookbook" by Kwoklyn Wan

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