Recipe - Chicken Szechwan-Style With Sesame Paste

2 Whole chicken beasts,
skinned and boned
2 tablespoon Szechwan peppercorns
4 tablespoon Sesame paste
3 tablespoon Green tea
2 tablespoon Wine vinegar
2 One half teaspoon Soy sauce
3 tablespoon Peanut oil
2 teaspoon Crushed red pepper *
3 sl Fresh ginger, minced
1 Scallion (white part only),
chopped
1 Clove garlic, minced fine
1 One half tablespoon Dry sherry or Shaoshing wine
One half teaspoon Cayenne pepper

* or you substitute 2 whole chili peppers, crushed.

In a pot, poach the chicken breasts in a little boiling water for 10
minutes until white and opaque.

In a dry frying pan, toast the Szechwan peppercorns over moderate heat,
then crust or grind them; set aside.

Remove the chicken breasts from the pot, drain and cool them. Slice them,
then shred the slices into julienne pieces.

In a mixing bowl, combine the sesame paste and green tea (or the peanut
butter and sesame oil See NOTE). Add the vinegar and soy sauce; blend
well. Add the peanut oil, red pepper, ginger, scallion, garlic, sherry,
cayenne pepper, and the peppercorns. Mix all ingredients very well.

Toss the chicken strips in this sauce, to coat. Refrigerate until 20
minutes before serving. Pass the chicken and the lettuce leaves separately,
and let each guest place a small portion of the chicken in the middle of a
lettuce leaf and roll it up like an egg roll to eat using fingers. Makes 6
appetizer servings.

NOTE: The authentic recipe calls for green tea to thin the sesame seed
paste, but you may substitute chicken broth, or simply water, if you
prefer.

Another substitution you may make if you wish is peanut butter for the
sesame seed paste along with sesame oil instead of green tea.

This dish is served cold or at room temperature and can be made a day
ahead.

Recipe: "Chinese Appetizers" by Verdi Published by Irene Chalmers
Cookbooks, 1981

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini