Cold Sesame Chicken Food

COLD SESAME CHICKEN

Steps:

• Season chicken with salt and sprinkle with five-spice powder, rubbing seasoning into the flesh.
• Transfer chicken to a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add 4 to 6 cups water, just to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a bare simmer. Add scallions, ginger slices, star anise and turmeric. Simmer very gently until tender, about 45 minutes.
• Remove chicken to cool on a baking sheet. (For faster cooling, submerge chicken in ice water.) Reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
• Make the glaze: Put soy sauce, sugar, cayenne, garlic, toasted sesame oil, ginger and 1/2 cup cooking liquid in a shallow saucepan or small skillet over medium-high heat. Simmer rapidly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Chop bone-in chicken into 1-inch chunks with a sharp cleaver or large chef's knife. (Remove bones before chopping, if preferred. If using drumettes or boneless thighs, leave whole.) Arrange chicken on a serving platter.
• Brush glaze onto the meat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and peanuts. Add chiles (if using), cilantro and scallions. Surround with mustard greens or lettuce leaves, if using. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

COLD SESAME NOODLES WITH SHREDDED CHICKEN

Steps:

• First, make the shredded chicken. (As noted above, you can do this the day before and just take the shredded chicken out of the refrigerator before you begin the final preparations.) Boil 4 qts. of water with one tablespoon of salt. When the water reaches a boil, add the chicken and cook for about 20-25 minutes.
• Pour out the water and allow the chicken to cool on a cutting board or in a bowl.
• If you are unable to find toasted sesame seeds, toast the sesame seeds in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon sesame seeds in a small bowl.
• In a blender or small food processor, puree the remaining 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, and sugar until smooth, about 30 seconds. With the machine running, add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the sauce has the consistency of heavy cream, about 5 tablespoons; set the mixture aside (it can be left in the blender jar or food processor workbowl). If you wish, add the crushed red pepper for a little zing. (Start with 1/8 of a teaspoon and go from there.).
• Bring 5 quarts water and the other tablespoon of salt to a boil in a stockpot over high heat. While you wait for the water to boil, you can shred your chicken.
• Using 2 forks, shred the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces and set aside.
• Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook them according to the directions on the package (about 4 minutes for fresh and 10 minutes for dried pasta).
• Drain the noodles, return them to the pot, then rinse them again with cold running tap water until they are cool to the touch; drain them again.
• In a large bowl, toss the noodles with the sesame oil until evenly coated. Add the shredded chicken, scallions, carrot, and sauce; toss to combine. Divide among individual bowls, sprinkle each bowl with a portion of reserved sesame seeds, and cucumber decoration and serve.

SESAME CHICKEN

Steps:

• Wash the chicken under cold running water, pat dry and trim off any excess fat. Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes and put into a large mixing bowl. Add the marinade ingredients to the bowl and stir to combine. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the sauce.
• To make the sauce: In a saucepan, add the sesame oil and set over low heat. Add the ginger and garlic and fry gently until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the remaining sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well to dissolve the cornstarch. Gently pour into the saucepan with the fried ginger and garlic. Stir as you pour because the cornstarch will thicken up pretty quickly. Keep warm over low heat.
• In a heavy-bottomed pot or deep-fryer heat enough oil to come halfway up the sides of the pot, to 375 degrees F.
• Fry the chicken, in small batches, until golden and crispy, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the chicken using a wire mesh strainer and drain on paper towels. Season with a little salt, to taste. To serve, arrange the fried chicken on a platter and pour drizzle with the sauce. Sprinkle with a generous amount of toasted sesame seeds and garnish with scallions and cilantro sprigs.

COLD WEATHER COMFORT FOOD: SESAME CHICKEN

Steps:

• PREP/PREPARE
• THE SAUCE
• Gather your ingredients.
• In a large (non-reactive) bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce, and reserve.
• Chef's Note: The traditional way to make this is with cornstarch; however, I like the depth the flour gives to the sauce.
• Chef's Tip: If you want to add an additional layer of flavor to this dish, toast the flour in a dry pan over medium heat, before adding it to the other ingredients.
• THE CHICKEN
• Gather your ingredients.
• Take a medium bowl, and whisk together the egg and cornstarch.
• Add the cut up chicken, and toss to evenly coat with the mixture.
• Add the sesame oil to a skillet over medium-high heat.
• When the oil begins to shimmer, add the chicken.
• Chef's Tip: Shake off any excess egg before placing into the pan.
• Keep the pan active (stirring) while the chicken is cooking.
• Cook until the chicken is cooked through and beginning to brown.
• Add the reserved sauce to the skillet, and turn the heat down to medium low.
• Continue to cook until the sauce thickens, about 6 to 8 minutes.
• Serve over some long-grain white rice, with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and maybe a fortune cookie on the side. Enjoy
• Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

COLD SESAME NOODLES WITH SMOKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Bring a pot with 3 to 4 quarts water to a boil for ramen or thin spaghetti. If using thin spaghetti, you'll need baking soda as well (see Cook's Note). Ramen does not require salt to be added into water.
• Take 4 scallions and trim, cut into thirds and slice lengthwise; put in ice cold water to curl the scallions. Thinly slice the remainder of the 2 bunches on a bias and reserve.
• For dressing, in a food processor, combine tahini paste, shoyu or soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, mirin, toasted sesame oil, ginger, garlic, chili paste or sauce and light brown sugar. Process sauce until smooth and add a splash of bottled or filtered water if necessary to thin--sauce should be creamy but pourable. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• Drop ramen or pasta into boiling water and cook ramen 4 minutes (thin spaghetti about 6 minutes). Drain and cold rinse, then drain again. Toss ramen with sauce, sliced scallions, three-quarters of the cucumbers and three-quarters of the chicken. Drain scallion curls. Arrange noodles in shallow bowls and top with scallion curls, remaining chicken and cucumbers, lots of sesame seeds and a few dollops of chili paste if desired.

COLD SESAME NOODLES

Steps:

• In saucepan over medium heat, mix first 8 ingredients together (soy sauce to chicken broth), stir until thick and smooth.
• Cook linguine in salted water until al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water.
• Mix linguine and sauce mixture in bowl.
• Serve cold or at room temperature with scallions, cucumbers, and sesame seeds as garnish.

COLD SESAME EGG NOODLES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook the noodles until tender yet firm, about 2 minutes for fresh Chinese noodles, 10 seconds for fresh ramen, and 3 minutes for dried ramen. Drain the noodles and shock in ice-cold water. Drain again.
• In a large bowl whisk together the vinegar, sesame paste, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and chili-garlic sauce until smooth. Add the noodles and toss well to distribute the sauce evenly throughout. Garnish with the scallions and cilantro and serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

COLD NOODLES WITH SESAME SAUCE, CHICKEN AND CUCUMBERS

Steps:

• Set a large pot of water to boil and salt it. If your chicken is uncooked, poach it in water as it comes to a boil; it will cook in about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel cucumbers, cut them in half, and, using a spoon, scoop out seeds. Cut cucumber into shreds and set aside.
• When water comes to a boil, cook pasta until tender but not mushy. (If chicken is not done, you can still add pasta; remove chicken when it is done.) While pasta is cooking, whisk together sesame oil and paste, sugar, soy, ginger, vinegar, hot oil and pepper in a large bowl. Thin sauce with hot water, so that it is about the consistency of heavy cream; you will need 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Stir in cucumber. When pasta is done, drain it and run pasta (and chicken, if necessary) under cold water. Drain. Shred chicken (the easiest way to do this is with your fingers).
• Toss noodles and chicken with sauce and cucumbers. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary (the dish may need salt), then garnish and serve.