Cashew chicken
 A plate of stir-fried cashew chicken (not Springfield-style) |
|
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Springfield, Missouri |
| Creator(s) | David Leong at Grove Supper Club, 1963 |
| Details | |
| Course | Main course |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredient(s) | chicken cashews oyster sauce assorted vegetables |
Cashew chicken (Chinese: 腰果鸡丁) is a simple Chinese-American dish that combines chicken (deep-fried or stir-fried, depending on the variation), cashews, and a thick oyster sauce.
Contents |
[edit] Springfield-style cashew chicken
A particularly notable version of the dish, using breaded, deep fried chicken rather than stir-fried, is closely associated with the city of Springfield, Missouri.[1] Springfield-style cashew chicken was first served in 1963 at the Grove Supper Club in Springfield. David Leong, the chef, who moved to the United States from China in 1940, struggled to gain acceptance for the foods of his homeland so he began searching for a dish that would appeal to local residents' taste buds. His famous cashew chicken recipe was so popular he soon opened Leong's Tea House in Springfield.[2] The dish became exceedingly popular in the Springfield area and is often cited as the unofficial "dish of the city".
Borrowing from the local love of fried chicken, Leong came up with a combination of fried chicken chunks covered with Chinese oyster sauce, a handful of cashews and chopped green onions--an immediate hit with the local crowd. As word spread about the dish, so did the recipe. Leong's Tea House closed its doors in 1997, but Springfield-style cashew chicken is still being served at over 70 Chinese restaurants, as well as many non-Chinese restaurants, in and around the Springfield metropolitan area, and elsewhere in Missouri and other states.[1][2]
In 2010, Leong's son, with his father's assistance, opened a new restaurant in Springfield serving cashew chicken.[3]
[edit] See also
 |
Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on |
|
Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on |
[edit] References
- ^ a b John T. Edge, "Missouri Chinese: Two Cultures Claim This Chicken," New York Times, March 11, 2009.
- ^ a b Bridges, Amos. "Cashew chicken satisfies Ozarkers' palates". Springfield News Leader. http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060226/NEWS01/602260333. Retrieved 2007-02-05.
- ^ Steve Grant, "New Leong's restaurant recalls origin of famous Springfield cashew chicken", KYTV (TV), December 7, 2010.
