Recipe(tried): Cold Sesame Chicken with Noodles and Ban-Ban Ji

Here are two tasty recipes to try. I have made and enjoyed both many times. The first one is not authentic Chinese, just Chinese-inspired. Rather than follow the painstaking directions given in the first recipe for preparing the chicken, I often just cook a bird in my crockpot overnight, remove and shred the chicken, and use that with the sauce. And obviously, you don't need a food processor to make the sauce. Just chop your own garlic, throw the ingredients in the blender, and voila.

COLD SESAME CHICKEN WITH NOODLES from Patently Easy Food Processor Cooking by Greg Patent, 1985 Cuisinart Cooking Club (p. 50-51 of paperback edition)

This spicy dish should be made at least a few hours ahead to allow the flavors to blend.

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 oz, 225 grams total)
1 bunch scallions (4 oz, 115g total)
2 Tablespoons sesame seed
2 quarts (2L) water
12 ounces (340 g) fresh pasta, cut into 1/8 inch (3 mm) strips (Use any egg pasta except spinach, wholewheat, or buckwheat)
2 Tablespoons oriental sesame oil
3 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup (120 ml) tahini (sesame-seed paste)
1/2 cup (120 ml) chicken stock
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup (80 ml) soy sauce
1/3 cup (80 ml) red-wine vinegar
[MY ADDITION TO SAUCE: 1 tsp of a very hot sauce like Tabasco]

Put each chicken breast half on sheet of plastic wrap, skinned side down. Fold ends in slightly, then roll to form long cylinder. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in freezer until chicken is firm but easily pierced with tip of sharp knife. Unwrap and cut breasts in half cross-wise.

Insert 3mm slicing disk. Wedge chicken breasts upright in feed tube and use firm pressure to process. Remove and set aside; wipe work bowl with paper towels.

With 3mm slicing disk, wedge scallions upright in feed tube and use light pressure to process. Remove, wrap in plastic wrap, and set aside.

Put sesame seeds in shallow baking pan and toast in 350F (175C) oven until they are golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Bring 2 quarts (2 L) of water to boil in 4-quart saucepan over high heat. Add chicken and stir to separate slices. Cook until chicken turns opaque and is cooked through, about 1 minute. Drain and set aside in large bowl.

Cook pasta, drain well, and return to pot filled with cold water. Let stand until completely cool, then drain thoroughly and put into large bowl. Add 1 Tbs of sesame oil and mix well. Cover and set aside.

Insert metal blade in food processor. With machine running, drop garlic through feed tube and process until finely chopped, about 10 seconds. Scrape work bowl, add tahini, stock, sugar, remaining sesame oil, soy sauce, and vinegar, and process until smooth, about 15 seconds. [The sauce seems way too thin, but don't worry; it thickens up in the fridge, or maybe the pasta absorbs some liquid.]

Add sauce to chicken. Then add pasta and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours or as long as two days. To serve, turn mixture out onto large serving patter, sprinkle sesame seeds over center, and sprinkle scallions around edge.

6 to 8 servings.

[I have successfully frozen the sauce.]

BAN-BAN JI
Cold chicken with sesame and spice sauce
From: The Good Food of Szechwan by Robert A. Delfs, Kodansha Interrnational Ltd., 1974. page 46 of hard-cover edition

1 whole chicken breast
SEASONINGS (per 1 lb of meat)
2-3 Tbs finely chopped fresh ginger
2-3 Tbs finely chopped fresh garlic
4-6 Tbs sesame paste [note: Chinese paste is made with roasted seeds and is not identical to tahini, though I doubt the world would end if you substituted]
4-6 Tbs red oil
2 tsp Chinese red vinegar or white vinegar
2-3 Tbs soy sauce
1-2 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp ground Szechwan pepper
2-3 Tbs sesame oil

Clean the chcken and place in enough boiling water to cover in a wok or pot. Boil until tender. It will take from 10-30 minutes depending on whether you are using breasts, legs or a whole small chicken. Remove and drain. When cool, bone the chicken and cut its meat into shreds, about 3/4 inch thick, 1/4 inch wide (or smaller) and about 1 inch long. Arrange on a serving plate (on a bed of some decorative, leafy-type vegetable if you are feeling aeshtetic).

While the chicken is boiling, chop the ginger and garlic. Mix the seasonings in a small bowl.

Just before the dish is to be served, pour the seasonings over the chicken shreds. Serve at room temperature.