I believe the purpose of what I call the dip was an agent to keep the chopped cashew on the chicken more than to flavor it. I think the browned cashew provided the flavor.
I had a recipe years ago for cashew chicken. I think it came from a Rival Wok cookbook. It was small bites of chicken dipped in something and then rolled in chopped cashew nuts and deep fried in peanut oil for just a short (30-60 sec) time.
It made a great appetizer and I would now like to...