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Bang-Bang Chicken

Ken Hom and Ching-He Huang's take on traditional Bang-Bang Chicken is light and refreshing, featuring radish, carrot and cucumber.

Introduction

The name ‘bang-bang’ comes from the Mandarin word for ‘stick’, which is bung. The chicken meat is beaten with a stick to help tenderise it, so it shreds easily; you could use a rolling pin to flatten the cooked chicken and then use your fingers to tear it into shreds.

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Ingredients

100g (4oz) vermicelli mung bean noodles (or rice noodles), pre-soaked in hot water for 5-6 minutes and drained (optional)
250g (9oz) poached chicken breast, shredded
½ cucumber, cut in half lengthways, de-seeded and sliced into long, thin julienne strips
40g (1½oz) radish, sliced
40g (1½oz) carrot, peeled and sliced into long, thin julienne strips
For the dressing:
2 tbsp groundnut oil
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp sesame paste (or tahini blended with 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil)
1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp freshly grated root ginger
2 tbsp Chinese black rice vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
½ tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns
For the garnish:
1 medium fresh red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
1 large spring onion, finely sliced lengthways toasted black and white sesame seeds

Essential kit

You will need: a blender.

Method

Arrange the noodles, if using, on a plate. Layer the chicken, cucumber, radish and carrot on top, then chill.

Before serving, put all the ingredients for the dressing into a blender and whizz to combine. Drizzle the dressing over the dish, then sprinkle with the fresh chilli, spring onion and toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

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