Gai Pad Med Mamuang

tender chicken stir-fried at high heat with golden roasted cashews, dried chillies, onion, and spring onion in a glossy savoury-sweet sauce, one of the most loved of all Thai dishes the world over

Origin: Thailand

From the journey of Cashew.

Gai pad med mamuang himmaphan, chicken fried with cashew nuts, is one of the best-known Thai dishes in the world, and a perfect showcase for the cashew, which the Thais grow in the sandy south and call the 'Himavanta mango' for its kinship with the true mango. Unlike the fierce curries and salads of the Thai repertoire, this is a gentle, balanced stir-fry, mild enough to please everyone: cubes of chicken seared fast in a hot wok, then tossed with cashews fried golden and crisp, sweet onion, spring onion, and whole dried chillies, all bound in a glossy sauce of oyster sauce, soy, and a little sugar. The dried chillies are fried until fragrant but are there for aroma and a gentle warmth rather than real heat, and the cashews are the star, kept crunchy against the tender chicken. Quick, savoury, faintly sweet, and endlessly comforting, it is the dish through which the cashew of southern Thailand has travelled to restaurant tables across the globe.

Ingredients

The Stir-fry

400 g boneless chicken thigh, cut into bite-sized pieces
100 g raw cashews
6 dried red chillies, halved and deseeded
1 onion, cut into wedges
4 spring onions, cut into 4cm lengths
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp oil

The Sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp chicken stock or water

Method

Fry the cashews gently in a little of the oil over a medium heat until evenly golden, then lift out and drain. In the same oil, fry the dried chillies for a few seconds until fragrant and just darkened, and lift out.
Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves.
Heat the remaining oil in a wok over a high heat until shimmering. Add the garlic, then the chicken, and stir-fry hard for 3 to 4 minutes until golden and almost cooked through.
Add the onion wedges and stir-fry for a minute, then pour in the sauce and toss until it bubbles and glazes the chicken.
Return the cashews and chillies to the wok, add the spring onions, and toss for a final 30 seconds. Serve at once with steamed jasmine rice.

Notes

Prawns or firm tofu can replace the chicken. Some cooks add a little roasted chilli paste (nam prik pao) to the sauce for a deeper, smokier flavour, which is delicious. The dish is meant to be mild and balanced; leave the dried chillies whole and unbroken if you want their aroma without much heat.

The Gastrographer

Name: Gai Pad Med Mamuang
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: Thailand
Ingredients: 400 g boneless chicken thigh, cut into bite-sized pieces; 100 g raw cashews; 6 dried red chillies, halved and deseeded; 1 onion, cut into wedges; 4 spring onions, cut into 4cm lengths; 3 cloves garlic, chopped; 3 tbsp oil; 2 tbsp oyster sauce; 1 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tsp dark soy sauce; 2 tsp sugar; 2 tbsp chicken stock or water

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control