← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 700 g bone-in, skin-on chicken legs
• 4 slices Ginger
• 2 spring onions, for poaching
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp whole Sichuan pepper, for poaching
• iced water, for chilling
• 4 tbsp chilli oil with sediment
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Chinese sesame paste (or tahini)
• 1 tsp Toasted sesame oil
• 2 cloves Garlic, finely grated
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• ½ tsp ground Sichuan pepper
• 3 tbsp chicken poaching liquid
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 handful Coriander (cilantro), chopped

Method

1. Put the chicken in a pot with the ginger, spring onions, wine and whole Sichuan pepper and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, skim, then simmer very gently, covered, for 20–25 min, until the thickest part reaches 75°C (165°F).
2. Lift the chicken straight into a big bowl of iced water and leave for 10 min. This firms the skin and keeps the meat silky. Drain and pat dry.
3. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together, adding the poaching liquid at the end. Taste: it should be spicy, numbing, salty, sweet and a little sour all at once.
4. Chop the chicken through the bone into bite-sized pieces, or pull it off the bone in thick strips, and arrange on a plate.
5. Pour the dressing over, leave for 10 min so it soaks in, then scatter with the peanuts, sesame seeds and coriander. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Tips

• A bed of cucumber matchsticks under the chicken soaks up the extra sauce.
• Contains peanuts and sesame.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Wok and Kin Omnivore's Cookbook What To Cook Today