Bang Bang Chicken Salad
Serves 4
Chicken
2 litres (70 fl oz/8 cups) water
150 ml (5 fl oz) shaoxing rice wine
salt, to taste
3 cm (11⁄4 in) knob of ginger
3 garlic bulbs, smashed
4 spring onions (scallions), bruised
1 x whole chicken (size 12)
Dressing
75 g (21⁄2 oz) white sesame seeds
187 g (61⁄2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
162 g (53⁄4 oz) garlic cloves, peeled
300 ml (101⁄2 fl oz) Chinkiang black vinegar
150 ml (5 fl oz) light soy sauce
35 g (11⁄4 oz) sesame paste
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) Lao Gan Ma chilli oil
35 g (11⁄4 oz) sichuan pepper
Salad
1⁄2 cucumber, deseeded and cut into thin strips
100 g (31⁄2 oz) bean sprouts, trimmed
50 g (13⁄4 oz) toasted peanuts, roughly chopped
100 g (31⁄2 oz) coriander (cilantro) leaves
flaky salt, to taste
3 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon roasted ground sichuan pepper
1 fresh lime, cut into cheeks
To make the dressing, blend the white sesame seeds, sugar, garlic and black vinegar. Transfer to a large bowl. Blend the rest of the ingredients, then combine all of the ingredients, mixing well. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
To prepare the chicken, place all the ingredients in a pot. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the chicken cool in the liquid.
Remove the cooked chicken from the liquid. Pull all meat from the chicken, then shred the meat. Stir the dressing to emulsify.
To make the salad, in a large serving bowl add the chicken, cucumber, bean sprouts, peanuts, coriander leaves, salt, sesame seeds and sichuan pepper.
Pour over the dressing. Toss to mix well and serve in a large bowl with the lime cheeks.
Reprinted with permission. Published by New Holland Publishers (NZ). Newhollandpublishers.com . RRP $49.99