Marion's Sichuan Chicken Bang Bang Noodles

One of our favorite chefs is Marion Grasby in Australia. So when we heard that she had just published her new cookbook, we immediately got it to try the recipes. Marion's inventive recipes are a reflection of her background and is a lovely confluence of East and West. We also love how she has taken classic Asian dishes and simplified them.

Ingredients:

• 4 slices ginger, bruised
• 3 garlic cloves, bruised
• 2 x 200g (7oz) chicken breasts or thighs
• 270g (9.5oz) dried udon noodles (or other noodles of choice)
• 1 large cucumber, julienne into strips

Dressing:

• The original recipes calls for 1 tsp dried Sichuan peppers. We suggest using 1-2 tsp 50Hertz green Sichuan pepper oil
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp vinegar (either white vinegar or Chinese black vinegar
• 2 tbsp chili oil (see our favorite recipe here)
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tsp chili powder

Steps

• Place the ginger, garlic and chicken in a medium saucepan. Cover with water, then place over high heat. Wait for the water to gently simmer, then turn the heat to medium and simmer for 8 minutes. Turn the heat off (but keep the saucepan on the hot stovetop) and leave for 10 minutes for until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a bowl of iced water. Reserve 1/2 cup of the poaching liquid. When the chicken is cool, use a rolling pin to "bang" or lightly pound it in order to loosen it. Then tear the chicken meat into fine shreds.

• For dressing, add the 50Hertz Sichuan pepper oils, toasted sesame seeds, soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, peanut butter, chili powder and reserved poaching liquid. Whisk until smooth.

• Cook the noodles according to packet instructions. Drain and divide among serving bowls. Top with the chicken and the cucumber. Spoon over the dressing generously and serve.