Garlic & Cashew Chick'n

Vegan garlic and cashew and vegetable bowl with soy "chicken".

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword cashew, plant based, vegan

Cook Time 35

Servings

Author Tiffani Wells

2 cups water
"chicken"-flavored vegetable bullion, enough for 4 cups of broth (but don't add the water!) I use either 2 Edward & Son's Not-Chick'n Bouillon Cubes or 4 tsp Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian No Chicken Base
1 cup, heaping soya chunks
1 tsp corn starch
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
heavy pinch ginger powder
heavy pinch black pepper

1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce gluten-free if necessary
3 Tbsp agave
1 1/2 Tbsp hoisin sauce ensure gluten-free if necessary
1 1/2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp arrowroot powder you can substitute cornstarch but it won't have the same "sticky" texture
1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

1/2 medium yellow onion diced small (1 cup diced weighing 4 1/2 oz)
3 green onions (1 1/2 oz) chopped, greens and whites separated
1 green bell pepper (6.5 oz in weight) diced small (about 3/4 cup)
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1/4 lb green beans trimmed and cut into 1" pieces (about 1 cup)
1/4 lb largely diced zucchini (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 medium stalks celery (2 oz before trimming, 1/2 cup after slicing) 1/4" slices
8 oz can whole water chestnuts quartered
1 cup roasted cashews
olive oil (or oil of choice) for cooking

Bring two cups of water to a bowl in a medium saucepan. Once boiling, whisk in the bullion and remove from heat (you should have bullion measured for 4 cups of broth, but you are only using half of the water). Once all of the bullion has dissolved, add the soya chunks and let sit for at least 15 minutes.
Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
Once soya chunks have rehydrated, strain them from the broth and add them to a medium-sized bowl. In a small bowl or ramekin, combine the cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt, ginger powder, and pepper. Sprinkle mixture over the soya chunks and toss to coat evenly.
Heat a medium to large skillet to medium heat and drizzle with oil. Once the oil is hot, add the soya chunks and sautée until browned. Remove from heat.
Heat a large, deep skillet to medium heat and drizzle with oil. Once hot, add the yellow onion, the whites of the green onions, the bell pepper, garlic, and ginger. Sautée for 3 - 5 minutes, until onions have softened. Add the green beans, zucchini, celery, and sauce, then stir. Continue to cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the veggies start to soften and the sauce has thickened. Stir in the water chestnuts, half of the greens of the green onions, 3/4 cup of the cashews, and the soya chunks. Once the soya chunks are reheated remove from heat.
Chop the remaining 1/4 cup of cashews and use as a garnish with the remaining green onions.