Bang bang chicken is a very popular Chinese dish in Japan - so much so that it's probably served in Japanese homes as often as it's ordered in Chinese restaurants.
The unusual name of the dish deserves a little explanation - apparently it refers to the tenderising of the chicken by using a mallet. Or does it? On the other hand, some people contend that the "bang bang" refers to the sound of a chopping knife hitting a board as it strips meat from a cooked chicken carcass. Some years ago, I had some Chinese neighbours and from seeing them in their kitchen, my money is on the latter explanation.
Whichever story is correct, (who knows, maybe both are!) there isn't much bang bang necessary if, as I do, you use a chicken breast for the dish. One thing's for sure, you'll certainly get a big bang bang for your buck (sorry!) in terms of flavour - the sauce I make for this dish uses tahini, garlic, ginger and soy sauce so you get a really tasty meal. Time-wise, you can have this ready in under 30 mins .
If you are ready for a little bang bang in your life, you can find the written recipe below and the youtube tutorial Bang Bang Chicken or scroll to the bottom of the page.
Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX.
If you want to take a look at some of my other Chinese recipes, you might like to press the link to my Ma Po's Tofu recipe.
Bang Bang Chicken
ingredients:
(makes 2 servings)
250g chicken breast
1 spring onion
5mm x 2 slices ginger
500-800ml water
1 tbsp japanese cooking sake
160g cucumber
4 thin slices of tomato
2 portions of dried yellow noodles
for the sesame sauce:
3 tbsp tahini/sesame paste
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp japanese rice vinegar
3 tsp sugar
1.5 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp garlic paste
how to:
put the ginger, spring onion, chicken & sake in a pan, cover with water, then bring to the boil and simmer for 10-12 mins (make sure the chicken is cooked)
slice the cucumber diagonally, then cut julienne style
to make the sesame sauce:
combine the sesame paste, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, ginger & garlic in a bowl and mix well
boil the noodles according to the instructions on the packet & drain
cut the chicken into 2 fillets laterally and slice then diagonally into large matchsticks
to assemble the dish, place 1/2 the noodles on a plate, top with half the tomato, cucumber & chicken
drizzle over the sesame sauce before serving
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