Chicken chicken Bang Bang!

bangbang ji
Originally uploaded by kattebelletje.

Last Saturday I made a large dinner for some of my friends, and this was one of the starters (the other one being the dry-fried string beans, about which I blogged not too long ago.) It is called bangbang ji, 'bangbang chicken' or Chicken Bang Bang!, taking its name from the wooden stick (bang meaning 'stick') with which you have to beat the cooked chicken, so you can shred the chicken meat easily. Very famous in Sichuan and all over China, this starter with cold chicken, cucumber and a sesame-chili sauce is easy to make and very delicious. Take 2 organic chicken breasts and lower into just boiling water, keep at a slow simmer. Let poach for at most 15 minutes on the lowest fire (you could even switch it off), then take out and let cool. Meanwhile, cut 1 cucumber into strips. The trick is to make oval slices from the cucumber and make long strips from those. Put on a plate. Prepare a sauce with half a clove of smashed garlic, 4 tablespoons of sesame paste (tahin), 4 tablespoons of sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of soy, 2 tablespoons of chinese vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Add some sweet bean sauce if you like (I do!) Add chili oil (up to 4 or 5 tablespoons) to your preferred spicyness, it should be very hot. When cooled, shred the chicken with your hands into strips. Don't use a knife or anything, or the effect of this dish will be lost! Arrange on top of the cucumber and pour the sauce on top - sometimes you have to dilute the sauce if it is too thick : add plain water or some of the liquid you poached the chicken in. Add some drops of chili oil, scatter spring onion rings on top and sprinkle with ground Sichuan pepper (huajiao fen). You can sprinkle on some crushed roasted peanuts as well. Truly delicious.