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Big Plate Chicken

What first got me interested in north-western Chinese cooking was a trip to the fantastic Silk Road restaurant in Camberwell, South London which specialises in noodles, stews and dumplings originating from the Xinjiang province. There is a particular flavour spectrum that you don’t get in other Chinese cooking, that of mouth-numbing Sichuan pepper, chilli and spices such as cumin and star anise. There is a large Muslim population in Xinjiang and Muslim influences echo through the food; for example you see less pork compared to other cuisines like Shaanxi (see Xian Lamb & Cumin Hand Pulled Noodles here).

This is a warming, nourishing, soupy stew, full of aromatics, and a brilliant way to utilise my Hand Pulled Noodles (see here). I’ve suggested using between half and a whole teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorns, and while I love the sensation they provide, be mindful of just how mouth-numbing they can be. If you’re a first timer, perhaps err on the side of caution.

SERVES 8

Preparation time 30 minutes

Cooking time 1 hour 30 minutes

2 tbsp oil

1 whole chicken, cut into 12 pieces, (ask your butcher to do this)

3 onions, finely chopped

8 garlic cloves, peeled

hand-size piece of peeled ginger, about 80g, cut into thick slices

40g dried shiitake mushrooms

500ml fresh chicken stock

3 tbsp light soy sauce

½ tbsp dark soy sauce

4 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar

400ml Shaoxing rice wine

5 whole Sichuan chillies

½–1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp black peppercorns

3 large, waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters

2 carrots, peeled, each cut in half lengthways, and then cut into four diagonally

1 portion Hand Pulled Noodles (see here)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 150˚C/130˚C fan/gas mark 2. Heat a little oil in a frying pan or wok and season the chicken pieces. Fry them hard and fast in order to caramelise the pieces all over. Classically this step is missed out, but I think the chicken skin is always improved by being rendered and caramelised – though you don’t have to do it if you want to be more traditional.

Heat a glug of oil in a heavy-based casserole over a high heat, then slowly cook the onions for about 10 minutes until they soften and start to caramelise. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 15 more minutes. Next add the mushrooms, then the chicken stock, soy sauces, vinegar and rice wine. Bring to a fast simmer. Add the chillies and spices, then top up with water (about 500ml) so that the chicken is just covered. Bring back up to temperature, cover and place in the oven for 50 minutes.

Remove the casserole from the oven and add the potatoes and carrots, then return to the oven for a further 30 minutes. At the end of the cooking time bring a large saucepan of salty water to the boil. Drop your noodles in one by one. You will know they are cooked when they float to the top, which should take only a minute or two, after which they’re ready to drain. Remove the casserole from the oven and take to the table. Serve the boiled and steaming noodles on plates with the chicken pieces and sauce over them.