Ingredients
- 3x200g fresh skinless chicken breasts
- 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Sichuan vinegar, or Chinese black vinegar is fine
- 15g granulated sugar
- 15g sesame paste
- 5g sesame seeds, roasted and crushed
- 1 teaspoon chilli oil
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground roasted Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
To serve:
- 20g iceberg lettuce, chopped
- 5g scallions, chopped
Directions
- For the chicken, boil the chicken breasts for 30-35 minutes until they are cooked through.
- Tear or cut the chicken into shreds approximately 3-4cm in length. The traditional method would be to hit the chicken a few times with a wooden stick until the meat starts loosening up and then to tear it into little strips, using your hands.
- For the sauce, thoroughly mix all the other ingredients together.
- To serve, place a small mound of lettuce in the centre of each of the serving plates. Arrange some chicken shreds on top and pour the sauce over it. Finally, scatter the scallions over the dish.
Recipe courtesy of China Sichuan
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Tips
- Use cooked prawns or diced veg instead of the chicken if you prefer.
- This is a fairly quick and simple starter to make and is meant to be served cold. It is a very versatile recipe and a great way to use up leftover chicken, or turkey at Christmas time.
- The name ‘bang bang’ comes from the Mandarin word for stick – bang is a wooden stick traditionally used in China to beat the cooked chicken and tenderise it so that it shreds easily. You can try this out using a rolling pin.
- This dish is usually served alongside other hot and more complex dishes.
