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2 Whole chicken beasts,
Skinned and boned 2 tb Szechuan peppercorns
4 tb Sesame paste
3 tb Green tea
2 tb Wine vinegar
2 1/2 ts Soy sauce
3 tb Peanut oil
2 ts Crushed red pepper *
3 Slices fresh ginger, minced
1 Scallion (white part only),
Chopped 1 cl Garlic, minced fine
1 1/2 tb Dry sherry or
Shaoshing wine 1/2 ts Cayenne pepper
Lettuce leaves * or you substitute 2 whole chili peppers,
crushed.
In a pot, poach the chicken breasts in a little boiling
water for 10 minutes until white and opaque.
In a dry frying pan,
toast the Szechuan peppercorns over moderate heat, then crust or
grind them; set aside.
Remove the chicken breasts from the pot,
drain and cool them.
Slice them, then shred the slices into
julienne pieces.
In a mixing bowl, combine the sesame paste and
green tea (or the peanut butter and sesame oil — See NOTE).
Add
the vinegar and soy sauce; blend well.
Add the peanut oil, red
pepper, ginger, scallion, garlic, sherry, cayenne pepper, and the
peppercorns.
Mix all ingredients very well.
Toss the chicken strips
in this sauce, to coat.
Refrigerate until 20 minutes before
serving.
Pass the chicken and the lettuce leaves separately, and
let each guest place a small portion of the chicken in the middle
of a lettuce leaf and roll it up like an egg roll to eat using
fingers.
Makes 6 appetizer servings.
NOTE: The authentic recipe
calls for green tea to thin the sesame seed paste, but you may
substitute chicken broth, or simply water, if you prefer.
Another
substitution you may make if you wish is peanut butter for the
sesame seed paste along with sesame oil instead of green tea.
This
dish is served cold or at room temperature and can be made a day
ahead .
– Verdi
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