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Chicken Szechuan
Ingredients
2 Whole chicken beasts Skinned and boned
2 tablespoons Szechuan peppercorns
4 tablespoons Sesame paste
3 tablespoons Green tea
2 tablespoons Wine vinegar
2 1/2 teaspoons Soy sauce
3 tablespoons Peanut oil
2 teaspoons Crushed red pepper *
3 Slices fresh ginger -- minced
1 Scallion (white part only)Chopped
10 milliliters Garlic -- minced fine
1 1/2 tablespoons Dry sherry or Shaoshing wine
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
Lettuce leaves* or you substitute 2 whole chili peppers, crushed.
Method
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 Szechuan 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. | 
