Sichuan Cold Dishes: The Cold Kitchen Tradition

Ingredients

• 1 (about 1.5 kg) whole chicken, free-range preferred
• For the ice bath
• 2 litres water, iced
• 500 g ice
• For the cucumber base
• 300 g cucumber, julienned
• For bang bang dressing
• 60 g sesame paste
• 45 ml chilli oil, with sediment
• 15 ml Sichuan peppercorn oil
• 30 ml light soy sauce
• 20 ml black vinegar
• 10 g sugar
• For mouthwatering chicken dressing
• 45 ml chilli oil, with sediment
• 20 ml Sichuan peppercorn oil
• 30 ml light soy sauce
• 25 ml black vinegar
• 15 ml sesame paste
• 10 ml sesame oil
• 10 g sugar
• 20 g fresh ginger, finely grated
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced

Method

1. 1
   Place the whole chicken in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a bare simmer — the surface should tremble without breaking into a rolling boil. Hold at this temperature until the chicken is just cooked through. The thigh juices, when pierced at the joint, should run clear and the meat should show no pink.
2. 2
   Immediately transfer the cooked chicken into the prepared ice bath. Submerge fully and leave until completely cold. This step is where mouthwatering chicken lives or dies: the shock of the ice water contracts the skin to its characteristic tight, slightly gelatinous texture — skin that is merely cooled at room temperature will be slack and the dish will be lost.
3. 3
   Remove the chicken from the ice bath. For bang bang chicken, pull the meat from the bone by hand, then beat the pulled meat lightly with a mallet to break the fibres into coarse, textured shreds. For mouthwatering chicken, pull the meat cleanly from the bone by hand into larger pieces. The shreds should be irregular and fibrous, not sliced smooth.
4. 4
   Assemble the appropriate dressing by combining all its components. For bang bang dressing, whisk the sesame paste first with a small amount of the soy sauce until it loosens, then incorporate the remaining components. For mouthwatering dressing, combine all components and stir to dissolve the sugar. Taste: the dressing must carry a distinct, calibrated balance of numbing heat, vinegar brightness, salt, and sweetness — adjust the ratio of Sichuan peppercorn oil, black vinegar, or sugar until the balance is sharp and present.
5. 5
   For bang bang chicken, arrange the cucumber julienne in a cool layer on a serving plate. Pile the shredded chicken over the cucumber. Spoon the bang bang dressing generously over the chicken. The cucumber should remain visible at the edges, its pale green a visual signal that it is moderating the rich dressing above.
6. 6
   For mouthwatering chicken, arrange the pulled chicken pieces on a plate and dress with the more complex mouthwatering sauce. The finished surface should glisten with chilli oil sediment, the red oil pooling at the edges of the meat.