BANG BANG
CHICKEN SALAD
PREP + COOK TIME 2 HOURS (+ STANDING)
SERVES 41.6kg whole fresh chicken
4 green onions
2 fresh coriander roots, washed
30g fresh ginger, sliced thinly
12 whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 litre (4 cups) cold water
150g green mung bean noodles
1½ tablespoons sesame oil
¼ cup (70g) tahini
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon chilli oil
¼ cup (60ml) warm water
½ cup small fresh coriander sprigs
2 lebanese cucumbers (260g), cut
lengthways into long, thin strips
3 green onions, extra, cut lengthways
into long, thin strips
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted1 Rinse chicken inside and out.
Place green onion, coriander roots,
ginger, peppercorns, salt and the cold
water in a large saucepan or stock
pot; bring to the boil. Carefully add
chicken, and more water, if necessary,
so it is submerged; return to the boil.
Cover pan with a tight−fitting lid,
turn off the heat; stand chicken in
poaching liquid for 2 hours (the
remaining heat will finish the
cooking process).
2 Remove chicken from pan; strain
poaching liquid and reserve for
another use. (Strained poaching liquid
can be frozen for up to 1 month.)
3 Using your hands, pull legs and
breast meat from chicken. Place on a
work surface and gently pound each
piece with a meat mallet or rolling pin
several times to flatten slightly.
Remove skin and discard; shred meat
using two forks or your fingers, then
transfer to a large bowl.
4 Place noodles in a heatproof bowl.
Cover with boiling water; stand for
10 minutes. Drain well. Return
noodles to bowl with 1 teaspoon of
the sesame oil.
5 Stir tahini, soy and hoisin sauces,
honey, chilli oil, the warm water and
remaining sesame oil in a small bowl
until smooth.
6 Arrange noodles in a large
serving bowl with shredded chicken,
coriander, cucumber and extra green
onion; scatter with sesame seeds.
Serve drizzled with tahini sauce.COOK’S
NOTES
BANG BANG CHICKEN SALAD
Traditionally, the sauce for
bang bang chicken is made
with a Chinese sesame seed
paste, but this can be tricky
to find. While not traditional,
tahini (sesame seed paste),
as used here, makes a
good substitute.AWW FOOD • ISSUE THIRTY FOUR 97
In Season