Cashew Shrimp

Chinese food, and American styled Chinese food, are very popular everywhere you go. And people enjoy both cashew chicken and cashew shrimp dishes in these American-Chinese restaurants a lot too. You would think, since these dishes are so popular in Chinese restaurants that they would be actual Chinese dishes. Nope. They were created by Chinese- American Chef David Leong in the 1960’s, in Springfield, Illinois, though they are based on a Cantonese dish served all over the Southeast parts of China and Hing Kong.

Cashew chicken (Chinese: 腰果雞丁) is a Chinese-American dish that combines chicken (usually stir-fried but occasionally deep-fried, depending on the variation), with cashew nuts and either a light brown garlic sauce or a thick sauce made from chicken stock, soy sauce and oyster sauce. To make cashew shrimp, just substitute shrimp for the chicken, and make it the same way.

I made my own version of this Cantonese-American classic, and it was a big hit. When I find recipes that give me all kinds of options, I typically choose as many of the options as I can and throw them all together. As you all know, I like stuff in my stuff. :) And I did exactly that with this version of cashew shrimp too. I served it with some pork potstickers and some red wine on the side. 

I chose a red blend instead of white that I would normally serve with shrimp because of the spicy, zesty sauce. When it comes to serving wines with meals, the basic rules are whites with lighter or spicy meals and/or sauces and reds with heavier or bolder meals and/or sauces. This is so the foods don’t get lost in the wines. You want the wines to compliment the foods, not over power them. Though in reality, drink what you like and all will be fine too.

Cashew Shrimp

My recipe is a mixture of about four different versions that I combined together in order to make one. I found one version that called for black beans, one for carrots, one for mushrooms and one for red pepper flakes. Well, I like ALL of those things so I combined them all in my recipe, as well as some other goodies, like baby corn. Needless to say, by the time I was done with this dish, it was loaded with all kinds of fresh and delicious ingredients that all came together to make the recipe just pop.

1- 1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1-1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup baby corn, cut into pieces about 1 inch in size

2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced at an angle or Asian style

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 stalks celery, cut Asian style

2 TBSP garlic

2 TBSP ginger

1-2 tsp chili oil

2 TBSP soy sauce

2 TBSP rice vinegar

1 cup cashews

1/4 cup green onions, sliced Asian style

oil for cooking

Get a large skillet or wok very hot, then add the cooking oil and the chili oil. Carefully add the shrimp and cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until it is completely cooked. Remove from the heat, set aside and keep warm.

Add the vegetables, garlic and ginger to the hot oil and cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until they are softened, stirring frequently. 

Add the cashews and continue to cook for about 2 more minutes.

Re-add the shrimp and add the soy sauce and rice vinegar. Mix together thoroughly and cook until everything is heated through. 

Top with the green onions and serve over cooked rice or noodles. This dish got rave reviews, and it will at your house too. It’s so bright and colorful, and just loaded with all kinds of good stuff. Why stop at just one or two good ingredients when you can load it up and really make it special, right? 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukkah and Happy Holidays. Stay safe and stay well. ’Til next time.