Chicken & Cashew Nut Ae
This recipe is a re-creation of one of the spontaneous dishes that Chef Satoru Shinsei made in his portable kitchen for an outdoor dinner that took place on Ohama Beach in Sumoto City, Awaji Island. It’s a type of aemono (和え物), arguably Japan’s oldest type of dish. Aemono are savory cold side dishes in which a nutritious paste made from seeds, nuts, and/or beans is mixed together with any and all kinds of foods to create unique new flavors.
Chef Shinsei served it topped with a piece of semi-dried persimmon as an appetizer in a wooden tray with two other items: Sea Bass, Grilled Eggplant & Tomato Agar-Based Terrine and Pâté de Campagne of Mochi Pork with Deer Liver. Like all aemono, Chicken & Cashew Nut Ae can be eaten by itself or used as a dip or spread for other foods. It can also become a new dish by mixing it with more foods. A typical aemono is one in which the paste is tossed with blanched or par-boiled seasonal vegetables, thinned a bit, if need be, with some stock or sake, but still kept very thick.
Chef Satoru Shinsei’s seasonal appetizer tray. Clockwise from the top: Sea Bass, Grilled Eggplant & Tomato Agar-Based Terrine; Chicken & Cashew Nut Ae with Semi-Dried Persimmon; Pâté de Campagne of Mochi Pork with Deer Liver
Chicken & Cashew Nut Ae
Tori-Niku no Kasshu-Ae : 鶏肉のカシュー和え
Makes 1/3 lb. (150 g)
The Chicken
Boneless Chicken Breast Half, 1/3 lb. (about 150 g)
Seasonings
Sake, 2 teaspoons
Sugar, 1/2 teaspoon
Sea Salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons
Aromatics / Flavorings
Fresh Ginger, 1 slice
Green Part of a Leek
Directions
Remove any skin and excess fat from the chicken and season it with sea salt and black pepper.
Place the chicken in a small pot and cover with cold water, about 2 cups (480 ml). Add the sake, sugar, sea salt, pieces of ginger and leek, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it starts to boil, turn the heat down to low so that the water is barely a simmer. Cover with a drop lid or the pot lid slightly ajar and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, tightly cover the pot, and leave the chicken in the hot poaching liquid for 15-20 minutes. The chicken is done when completely opaque throughout.
Put the chicken and all of the poaching liquid in an enclosed container and cool overnight in the refrigerator.
The Cashew Nut Paste
Cashew Nuts, 1/3 lb. (150 g)
Chicken Poaching Liquid, 4-5 tablespoons
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 tablespoon
Sea Salt, to taste
Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Directions
Toast the cashew nuts in an oven or toaster oven at a setting of 350F (175C). Place the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 3 minutes. Shake the pan and toast them for another 2-3 minutes until the nuts are lightly browned and smell nutty (be careful not the burn them). Let cool.
Put the toasted nuts in the bowl of a food processor with 4 tablespoons of the chicken poaching liquid. Process for 2-3 minutes until creamy, stopping and scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to break up any large pieces, as needed. Add the olive oil and process for another minute. You want the paste to be shiny, smooth, and thick like peanut butter. If necessary, add another tablespoon, or more, of the poaching liquid. Don’t add more olive oil, as this will alter the taste of the paste. Season with salt to taste and pulse 1-2 times more. Scoop the paste out of the food processor and set aside.
Note: For a crunchy paste, save a small handful of cashew nuts and process them with the chicken when you assemble the dish.
Assemble
Take the chicken out of the liquid, shred it and put the pieces in the food processor. Add the small handful of toasted cashew nuts if you’re making a slightly crunchy paste. Pulse 3 times. You can pulse it more times if you want the chicken more finely ground. But keep in mind that when you mix the ground chicken with the reserved cashew nut paste, you’ll further mash the chicken.
Mix the chicken with the cashew nut paste. Adjust the seasoning with sea salt and ground black pepper.
Chicken & Cashew Nut Ae will keep for about 3-4 days refrigerated.
Serve
Serve chilled as an appetizer or side dish any way you like: by itself, alongside raw or lightly cooked seasonal vegetables such as those pictured in the title photo above—blanched asparagus, snap peas, and mizuna greens, or with toasted baguette slices or crackers.