Cashew Chicken (Gai Pad Med Mamuang Himapan)

July 9, 2025

Cashew Chicken (Gai Pad Med Mamuang Himapan) © kvalifood.com

A Thai-Chinese fusion stir-fry that’s more of a restaurant dish than street food in Thailand, partly because cashews are expensive. The chili paste and fried dried chilies give it a Thai character, while the toasted sesame oil points to its Chinese roots. Serves 2-3, about 20 minutes.

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

The Sauce

1 heaping Tbsp Thai chili paste (nam prik pao)
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp seasoning sauce, such as Golden Mountain (or Maggi)
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

The Rest

450 g chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into bite-size pieces
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, medium, cut into 1 ½ cm strips
2 ¼ dl straw (or beech mushrooms)
2 spur chilies (or 1/2 red bell pepper), julienned
1 1/2 tsp sugar, granulated
1 ¾ dl cashews, roasted
2 green onions, green part only, cut into 5 cm pieces
5-7 dried chilies, fried (optional)

Directions

Toss the chicken pieces with the soy sauce in a bowl and let marinate while you prep everything else.

Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat 2 Tbsp of the vegetable oil in a wok or large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and sear on one side until golden brown. Toss quickly and remove from the pan - it should only be partially cooked at this point.

Add the remaining 1 Tbsp vegetable oil to the pan if it looks dry. Add the garlic and onion, cooking until the garlic starts to turn golden. Return the chicken to the pan along with the mushrooms and spur chilies. Toss to combine.

Pour in the sauce mixture and add the sugar. Keep stirring to finish cooking the chicken through. Add a splash of water or stock if the pan seems too dry.

Once the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat and toss in the green onions and about half the cashews. Plate and top with the fried dried chilies and remaining cashews. Serve with jasmine rice.

Notes

The sauce can be mixed in advance.
In most Thai restaurants, the chicken is actually dredged in flour and deep-fried before being tossed in the wok. The flour coating helps the sauce cling to the chicken. Pan-searing is faster and easier with similar results.