I loved Thailand, but the next time I travel it needs to be to one of the other 75 countries that has Body Pump. I taught last night and then again this afternoon, and my entire body hurts. Except for my face, but that will change when I try to stand up and I start crying. Taking a month off is the worst thing that has happened to my body since Kelly shoved me in the laundry chute during an innocent game of hide and seek.

But today is still a great day, because it was 55 degrees and I went to WEGMANS.

While I was there, I witnessed this old lady open a bag of Doritos on the shelf, grab a handful, and walk away. I was mad at her for  both disrespecting my grocery store, and also neglecting to offer me some.

My original plan was to make pad thai, but I couldn’t find tamarind. I found rice noodles and “pad thai sauce,” but Chef Nusi would cry himself to sleep if he knew I bought pre-prepared pad thai sauce at the grocery store.

So I made Gai Phad Med Ma Muang!

Chicken with Cashew Nuts

3 large chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

1/4 all purpose flour

3 tbs water

1 tbs corn starch

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup cashews

2 thai chilies, chopped (ribs and seeds removed)

1 large onion, sliced thin

5-6 scallions, sliced into 1 inch pieces

3 tbs fish sauce

6 tbs oyster sauce

2 tbs sugar

vegetable oil

1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

assorted vegetables (whatever you like!)

Mix the corn starch and water to form a paste and set aside.

Coat the chicken in the flour. The recipe originally calls for 1/8 cup flour and 1/8 cup rice flour, but I could only find brown rice flour at the store and it was expensive. So I just used all purpose. Fry the chicken in vegetable oil. You can also use a different neutrally flavored oil, like canola or peanut. You CANNOT use olive or sesame oil. Once the chicken is browned on all sides and cooked through, remove from the pan and place on paper towel to drain.

Chop all your veggies, garlic, and chilies. I got to use my new kitchen scissors and chopper!

Put about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in your clean frying pan or wok, and cook the garlic and chilies for a few seconds or until fragrant. Add the chicken, onions, and any other vegetables you like. I added baby corns and broccoli.

Mix the oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar and pour into the pan. Spread throughout, and add the corn starch mixture to thicken the sauce. Add red pepper flakes, scallions, and cashews.

Serve with rice!

I made some adjustments to the proportions of things, but overall it tasted just like the one we made in cooking class! You could also make this vegetarian by substituting tofu for chicken, soy sauce for fish sauce, and mushroom sauce for oyster sauce. And it’s gluten free if you use rice flour to coat the chicken.

And now I’m getting over-excited about a BravoTopChef tweet that says they’re starting a new show- “Mediocre Chef.”  Is that real?! Sheila, let’s make audition tapes just in case.