Sichuan chicken and pepper stir-fry
Ingredients
for the marinade
2 tbsps dark soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
¼ tsp white pepper powder
3 tsps cornstarch
½ tsp star anise powder
1 small lobe of ginger, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
for the chicken
6 boneless and skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2cm dice
1 litre vegetable oil, for frying
1 red pepper, cut into 2cm dice
1 large white onion, cut into thin wedges
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 tbsp peeled ginger, cut into fine matchsticks
1 red chilli, finely sliced, seeds included
4 dried red chillies, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and cut into ½ cm pieces
6 spring onions, cut into 3cm pieces
1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorn powder
1 tsp white sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp light soy sauce
400g egg noodles, pre-soaked in cold water
80g light soy sauce
2 tbsps vegetable oil
4 pak choi, cut in half
sea salt & black pepper
4 sprigs fresh coriander, leaves only
1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
Method
To make the marinade, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. Drop the diced chicken thighs into the marinade. Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes.
To cook the chicken, heat the oil to 180°C in a wok or large pan for deep frying. Remove the chicken from the marinade and drain, and place the chicken on kitchen roll to soak up any excess marinade. Deep-fry in batches for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with clean kitchen towel and set aside.
Clean the wok or pan and add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Heat to smoking point, then add the chicken followed by the red peppers and onion and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for a further minute. Add both chillies, the spring onions and the Sichuan peppercorn powder. Stir-fry for a further minute then add the sugar, sesame oil and soy sauce. Check the seasoning before serving: this should be hot, spicy, sweet, salty and fragrant from the Sichuan pepper.
Heat another wok on a high heat, add the noodles and soy sauce and mix to coat the noodles evenly with the soy.
In another frying pan heat the pan with the vegetable oil and when smoking hot add the pak choi, cooking for 30 seconds on both sides. Season with a pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
To serve, put the noodles, pak choi and chicken in a bowl with the fresh coriander leaves and toasted sesame sprinkled on top.