Chicken bao
Sweet sesame chicken with a tangy salad and chilli sauce inside a soft bao bun.
By Matt Tebbutt
From Saturday Kitchen
Ingredients
- 2 skinless, boneless, chicken thighs, minced or very finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed or grated
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp black sesame seeds
- 1 tsp ground Sichuan pepper
- 2 bao buns
For the glaze
- 100ml/3½fl oz tamarind puree
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 garlic clove, crushed or grated
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 3 tbsp palm sugar
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
For the salad
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 small cornichon, thinly sliced
- 1 green chilli, sliced
- 1 tbsp coriander sprigs
- 1 lemon, sliced into wedges
For the chilli sauce
- 3 tbsp sriracha chilli sauce
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
Method
To make the glaze, place all the ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat.
Mix together the chicken mince, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, sesame seeds and Sichuan pepper. Form into 2 balls. Fry or grill the patties until cooked through and paint with the glaze.
To make the salad, toss the ingredients together in a bowl.
To make the chilli sauce, stir the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
Put the chicken into the bao buns, top with some salad and the chilli sauce.
