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Strange Flavour Chicken
Recipe by Eric Mao
Don't let the name of this dish fool you! This Asian poached chicken dish is full of delicious spices, heat and flavour
- Steps
- Ingredients
Ingredients
Poached Chicken
Spiced Soy
Chilli Oil
Strange Flavour Sauce
Smacked Cucumber
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Steps
- For the Poached Chicken, place chicken, ginger, 6 spring onions and coriander into a large saucepan. Add salt and enough boiling water to cover the chicken. Simmer over very low heat for 45 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the peanuts and cook until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Julienne the whites of the remaining 4 spring onions and set aside.
- Toast the sesame seeds in a small pan until golden and set aside.
- Take the whole chicken out from the pot after 45 minutes and plunge into salted ice water. Allow to cool.
- Remove chicken and debone the thighs and breast. Chop the two thighs and two breasts into 1 cm wide strips. Set aside.
- For the Spiced Soy, lightly crush the cardamom pod with a knife. Place onto a square of muslin along with the remaining spices and tie into a knot.
- Place into a small saucepan along with soy sauce and brown sugar and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer gently for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the spices and set aside to cool.
- For the Chilli Oil, toast the chillies in a small frypan over medium heat until fragrant and crisp. Transfer to a spice grinder and process until finely chopped without making a powder. Place into a heatproof bowl and add the sesame seeds and salt.
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan until smoking hot, about 200°C.
- Carefully pour one third of the hot oil over the chilli and stir immediately.
- After one minute, add another third of the oil and stir.
- After a further minute, add the remining oil and stir. Set aside.
- For the Strange Flavour Sauce, toast the Sichuan peppercorns until dark and fragrant. Grind to a powder using a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
- Toast sesame seeds in a small pan until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl.
- Add 4 tablespoons chicken poaching broth, sesame paste, vinegar, Spiced Soy, Chilli Oil, sesame oil, sugar and mix until combined. Add Sichuan pepper to taste and additional broth to achieve ideal consistency. Set aside.
- For the Smacked Cucumber, combine vinegar, Spiced Soy, Chilli Oil and minced garlic in a medium bowl.
- Cut the cucumber into 4 cm batons and smack them with a pestle or the back of a knife.
- Add to the bowl and toss gently to coat in the dressing. Garnish with sesame seeds and coriander leaves.
- To assemble, pile the strips of chicken into the centres of 4 shallow serving bowls. Pour the strange flavor sauce around and over the chicken and garnish with the fried peanuts, spring onions and toasted sesame seeds. Spoon over some more Chilli Oil and Spiced Soy to taste. Serve with Smacked Cucumber and remaining sauces on the side.
