Jisi Liangmian (鸡丝凉面): Cold Noodles ft. Shredded Chicken
Adapted from Sichuan (China) Cuisine in Both Chinese and English, published in 2010 by the Sichuan Higher Institute of Cuisine.
The Mala Market
Ingredients
Aromatic Sweet Soy Sauce
- 1 cup light soy sauce
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 star anise
- 1 inch cassia bark
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper
- 1 caoguo (black cardamom)
Poached Chicken
- 1 chicken breast (about ¾ pound)
- 2 scallions, cut in sections
- 1 inch piece of ginger, smashed
Noodles and Sauce
- 200 grams (7 ounces) dried alkaline wheat noodles
- 1 large clove garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons Sichuan-style chili oil with crisp or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons aromatic sweet soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoons Baoning black vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Chinese sesame paste
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce (Zhongba preferred)
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper oil
- ½ teaspoon roasted sesame oil (Cuizi preferred)
- ½ English cucumber, cut in thin strips
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 1 fresh red chili, such as jalepeno, fresno or Thai, minced
Instructions
Aromatic Sweet Soy Sauce
- Combine all ingredients for the aromatic sweet soy sauce in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer on a low flame until sauce becomes syrupy, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then strain out spices and store sauce in an airtight jar or bottle. (Will keep indefinitely in the fridge.)
Poached Chicken
- Add chicken breast, scallions and ginger to a pan and bring to a boil. Boil for three minutes, then turn off the heat, cover the pan and leave chicken to finish cooking in the hot water for about 15 minutes. Check for doneness, and remove from water when cooked through. Let chicken breast cool, then shred by hand into thin strips similar in heft to the noodles. Alternatively, use one breast from a store-bought rotisserie chicken!
Noodles and Sauce
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the noodles. Cook until al dente, then drain in a colander. Rinse them with cool water and drain well. Mix in enough neutral oil to lightly coat the noodles then spread them out on wax paper or a similar nonstick surface to dry.
- Add garlic to a bowl, cover with one tablespoon water and let sit for at least a minute. Add chili oil, sweet soy sauce, black vinegar, sesame paste, light soy sauce, Sichuan pepper oil and sesame oil and mix together.
- Compose the dish in one large bowl or as individual portions in smaller bowls. To serve as they do in Sichuan, put the sauce in the bottom of the bowl, layer the noodles on top of it, then layer the chicken, cucumber, scallions and red chili oil top. Mix the ingredients together just before eating. Alternatively, mix the noodles with the sauce first, then top with the other ingredients. Serve at room temperature.