Spicy Chicken and Noodles: Diary of a Foodie : gourmet.com

Diary of a Foodie

Diary of a Foodie: Season Two: Hidden Hong Kong

Serves:4

Active Time:45 min
Start to Finish:2 hr (includes cooling)

ADAPTED FROM JACKY YU, XI YAN

January 2008

We never met a chicken salad we didn’t like, but this is the first one we could call exciting or sophisticated. Chef Jackie Lu in Hong Kong gives it a tingle with Szechwan peppercorns. Watch a clip of this Diary of a Foodie episode and view its accompanying recipes. Plus, explore all episodes and more recipes from the show.

For Chicken and Noodles:

1 cup (3-lb) chicken, rinsed and patted dry
1 tablespoon mild honey
1 (8.8-oz) package mung-bean sheets (sometimes called green-bean starch sheets) or 2 (2-oz) skeins dried bean thread noodles
3 preserved duck eggs, peeled, rinsed, patted dry, and diced

For Dressing:

1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar (preferably Zhejiang)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/4 cup Asian sesame oil
2 tablespoons Asian chile oil, or to taste

For Topping:

1 celery rib (preferably Chinese), including leaves, chopped (1/3 cup)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted (see Tips)
2 tablespoons dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

EQUIPMENT:

an electric coffee/spice grinder

Put a steamer rack in bottom of a 6- to 8-quart stockpot and add enough water to reach just below rack, then bring to a boil over high heat.
Brush inside cavity of chicken with honey. Steam chicken directly on rack, covered, until just cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Cool chicken, then shred meat, discarding skin and bones.
While chicken steams, soak mung-bean sheets or bean thread noodles in enough boiling-hot water to cover (about 4 quarts) in a wide large bowl until translucent, about 30 minutes. Drain in a colander, then coarsely cut mung bean sheets (if using) into strips.
Finely grind Sichuan peppercorns in grinder, then stir together with remaining dressing ingredients in a bowl.
Toss together chicken, noodles, and duck eggs in a shallow serving bowl. Stir dressing, then pour over dish and sprinkle with celery, sesame seeds, and peanuts.