A glossy stir-fry of chicken and toasted cashews bound in a sweet-savory sauce of oyster sauce, soy and a touch of chili paste, studded with dried chilies, onion and spring onion. A Thai-Chinese restaurant favorite that balances crunch, sweetness and gentle heat.
Gai pad med mamuang is the Thai adaptation of southern Chinese stir-fry — chicken tossed with roasted cashews, dried chili and a savoury-sweet sauce. Ubiquitous in Thai restaurants, it is the gentle, nutty entry point to Thai cooking.
Tender slick chicken and buttery cashews snap against each other under a savory, faintly sweet glaze. The dried chilies smolder rather than sear, leaving a warm hum that makes you reach for more rice.
A light cornstarch coating velvets the chicken so it stays juicy in the hot wok, while toasting the cashews separately keeps them crisp instead of soggy once the sauce hits. High heat reduces the sauce to a clinging glaze.
Variations
Shrimp or tofu instead of chicken, with pineapple, milder no-chili kid's version, extra dried chili for heat-seekers
On the Palate
Where Gai Pad Med Mamuang sits in the Thai flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 3
How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 15 min
Toast cashews in a dry or lightly oiled pan until golden, then set aside.
Watch outPull the cashews the moment they turn pale gold — they keep browning off the heat, and a shade too dark turns them bitter.
- 24 min
Cut chicken into bite-size pieces and coat lightly with a little cornstarch.
- 34 min
Fry the chicken in hot oil until just cooked, then remove.
Watch outFry the chicken just until the surface turns opaque and firms up — it finishes in the sauce, so overcooking now leaves it dry.
- 42 min
Mix oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and a spoon of chili paste into a sauce.
- 53 min
Stir-fry dried chilies, garlic and sliced onion until fragrant.
- 63 min
Return chicken, add the sauce and toss to coat over high heat.
Watch outToss over high heat until the sauce thickens and clings in a glossy coat — if it stays watery it slides off the chicken.
- 71 min
Fold in cashews and spring onion off the heat to keep them crunchy.
Watch outFold the cashews in off the heat at the very end — leave them in the hot sauce and they go soft.
- 81 min
Plate and serve hot with steamed jasmine rice.
