Szechuan Beaten Chicken

Enjoy and keep it cooking!

Hint: If you enjoy this blog, Click on the followers icon on the right hand side of this page. You will then have an icon on your tool bar to access my blog.

Szechuan Beaten Chicken

serves 4

Ingredients:

2 chicken quarters

1 cucumber, seeded if necessary

and cut into matchsticks

For the sauce:

2 Tbsp / 30 ml light soy sauce

1 tsp / 5 ml sugar

1 Tbsp / 15 ml finely chopped spring onions

1 tsp red chili oil

1⁄2 tsp / 2.5 ml ground black pepper

1 tsp / 5 ml sesame seeds

2 T / 30 ml smooth peanut butter, creamed with a little

sesame oil (see note)

Preparation:

• Bring 1 liter water to a rolling boil in a wok or a large heavy

saucepan. Add the chicken quarters, reduce the heat, cover and poach

for 30–35 minutes.

• Remove the chicken from the wok or pan, and immerse in a bowl of cold water for at least 1 hour to cool, ready for shredding.

• Remove the chicken pieces from the bowl, drain and pat dry with kitchen paper. Take the meat off the bones and discard the skin. On a flat work surface, pound the chicken with a rolling pin or clean empty bottle, then tear the meat into shreds using two forks.

Mix the chicken with the cucumber, and arrange in a serving dish atop a few lettuce leaves.

• To serve, mix together all the sauce ingredients until thoroughly

combined, and pour over the chicken and cucumber in the serving dish.

Garnish:  Take two thin slices of cucumber and cut three quarters of the way through the centre. Take each cucumber slice and open to make an "S" shape. Overlap the two slices to form an "X", and delicately place on top of the chicken. Then place a small red cherry in the center of the cucumber garnish.

Note:

 Sesame oil is very pungent and strong-tasting, so a little of it goes a

long way. Use sparingly, adding just a very little at a time, when creaming with the peanut butter, so that it does not overpower the other flavors. You should not need more than a teaspoon or so.