The simple white cooked chicken for the noodles is great on rice with a little light soy and chillies. Add roast peanuts for crunch and it's a simple,delicious lunch. Serve with some steamed rice and stir-fried water spinach with garlic and this is a feast for a lazy Sunday afternoon. The master stock can be also reused – just strain and freeze,then boil for another use,adding a little water.
1. For the chilli pepper dressing,place a wok over high heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot,add the Sichuan peppercorns and chillies and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the garlic,ginger,chilli bean paste and sweet bean paste and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Pour in the rest of the ingredients,stirring to combine and deglaze the wok. Remove from the heat and allow to come to room temperature.
2. Bring 1 litre of salted water to the boil,place the chicken breasts in the boiling water,simmer for 1 minute and then cover and remove pot from the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the water. Remove the chicken once the water is cool and pat dry – it should be moist and cooked through. Shred chicken.
3. Bring another pot of salted water to the boil,cook the udon noodles until they are just al dente,around 5 minutes,and refresh in iced water.
4. In a bowl,toss the noodles in half the dressing and put in a large bowl. Place shredded chicken on top,pour the rest of the dressing over,sprinkle with coriander and sesame seeds.
Tip:Chilli and sweet bean pastes can be found in Chinese food stores (look for the Fu Chi brand for the latter),as can pickled chillies.