SICHUAN SPRING CHINESE RESTAURANT RECIPES

Steps:

• Mix salt with all purpose flour.
• Prepare a large mixing bowl. Dig a small hole in center and then pour the hot water in. Wait for 10 minutes and then stir in the cold water and vegetable oil. Grasp everything to form a ball, cover and rest for 5 minutes and then knead until very smooth (around 3-5 minutes ). The dough should be quite soft. Cover the rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
• After resting, the dough should be quite easy to roll out. Divide the large dough into 4 pieces and roll each piece into a large around circle. Brush some oil, sprinkle Chinese five spice power and chopped scallion (leave the 1 cm of the edge empty).
• Roll up the circle into a cylinder. And further roll into the shape of a snail. Cover with wet cloth and rest for 10 to 15 minutes.Roll the snail out to another thin circle.
• Brush some cooking oil on the pan and move the circle into the pan. Use middle fire to pan-fry until the surface becomes brown around 2-3 minutes. And turn over to fry for another 1 to 2 minutes. Use a spatula to press the circle from time and time especially the central part to ensure the circle is evenly fried.
• Remove the circle out and cut into wedges. 

Steps:

• Make the chilli paste mixture. In a bowl, mix together the chilli sauce, doubanjiang, oyster sauce, chu hou paste, soy sauce, rice wine, sugar and salt. Put the cut-up chicken in a bowl and pour about half of the chilli-paste mixture over the meat. Mix well so the chicken pieces are evenly coated. Set aside the chicken and remaining chilli-paste mix­ture while preparing the other ingredients.  
• Pull the stem ends from the dried chillies and shake out and discard as many seeds as possible. Put the chillies in a bowl, cover with hot water and leave for about 15 minutes, then drain before blotting them with paper towels.  
• Remove and discard as many black seeds as possible from the Sichuan peppercorns, leaving behind the husks. Loosely wrap the nutmeg in a paper towel and put it on a cutting board. Hit the nutmeg with a meat mallet to break it into two or three pieces. Break each star anise into two pieces. Cut the garlic cloves in half. Place the chunk of ginger on the cutting board and hit it with the meat mallet to lightly crush it.   
• Sprinkle the cornstarch over the marinated chicken and mix well. Pour cooking oil to a depth of about 8cm (3?inch) in a wok (or use a wide, deep pan and add oil to the depth of about 4cm [1½inch]) and heat to 180ºC (350ºF). Fry the chicken pieces in batches for about a minute - just long enough to set the exterior but not to fully cook the meat. Drain the chicken on paper towels. 
• Heat 30ml (2tbsp) of cooking oil in a large Chinese clay pot that holds about two litres (two quarts). When the oil is hot, add the dried chillies, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, star anise, cardamom pods, whole black peppercorns, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, garlic, shallots, ginger and fresh chillies. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spices are toasted and fragrant.  
• Add the remaining chilli-paste mixture and stir constantly for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken pieces and about 120ml (½cup) of water. Bring to the boil and stir well to combine. Lower the heat then cover the pot with the lid. Simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the chicken is cooked through. The sauce should lightly coat the chicken, but shouldn’t be entirely dry; if the meat is in danger of sticking to the bottom and sides of the pot, stir in more water. Taste the sauce and correct the seasonings, if necessary. 
• Cut the Chinese celery and spring onions into 3cm (1¼inch) lengths. Stir them and the fresh coriander (cilantro) sprigs into the pot and simmer until wilted. Serve the chicken pot with hot steamed rice and a dish of stir-fried vegetables. 
• After eating most of the chicken, add about 1.5 litres of unsalted chicken broth (or water) to the pot and place it over a portable burner. Bring to the boil, then serve with an array of raw meats, seafood, vegetables, noodles and other hotpot ingredients. Let your guests mix their own dipping sauce from ingredi­ents that include soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame paste, chilli oil, crushed peanuts and chopped fresh chillies, garlic, spring onions and coriander (cilantro) sprigs.