Kung Pao chicken, broccoli and cashew nuts

This is a nice and spice lively sauce that you want to pick yourself up and get yourself going dish. The broccoli and the nuts add texture to this and the heat in the sauce gives it that lift that makes it all just so wonderful.

6tbsp vegetable oil

110g/4oz cashew nuts

1 tsp dried red chilli flakes

1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2tbsp fresh ginger, chopped

½ onion, finely chopped

250g/9oz diced chicken

250g/9oz broccoli florets

3tbsp soy sauce

3tbsp dry sherry

3tbsp rice wine vinegar

2tbsp caster sugar

90ml/3fl oz cold water

1tbsp corn flour

2tbsp water

First get your chilli flakes and Sichuan peppercorns and grind them up. If you have a pestle and mortar use that, if not a rolling pin on a chopping board, but get them as fine as you can.

Next try and get a little colour on the nuts, just brush a little oil around the wok and almost dry fry the nuts. Then remove them from the pan and place them to one side.

Now take the rest of the oil and get that in the wok and get it smoking hot. Now add the chicken, garlic, ginger and onion and stir fry for 2 or 3 minutes. Then add the chilli and Sichuan powder mix and stir fry until the chicken is  pale golden-brown on all sides. Then add the broccoli florets and just stir them in .

Now whisk together the soy sauce, sherry, rice wine vinegar and caster sugar together. Add that mixt to the wok and stir to coat everything in the wok. Then add the water and just let it come to the boil.

Finally to finish the dish mix 1tbsp corn flour to 2tbsp water and add that to the wok stirring it in so the sauce thickens. And finally add the nuts let everything warm through and you are ready to serve.