I love Chinese food. If I had my way, I’d have it at least once a day, every day. I’m lucky enough to have four Chinese delivery options in my neighborhood, and you can bet I know exactly which one to call depending on what I have a taste for that day. But when I came across this recipe on the Internet one day, I had to try it.  I think that I am safe in saying that my calls to delivery joints might become a little less frequent.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken meat
• 1 cucumber
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 medium carrot or 4 baby carrots
• 2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste) or chunky peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (red or black if available)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chili oil, or 1 to 2 teaspoons red chili flakes (optional, if you like spicy food)
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Szechuan pepper, ground
• 1 tablespoon shredded or chopped scallion (white part only) (also optional)

Preparation:
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Poach the chicken until it’s white and cooked thoroughly.

While the chicken is cooking, peel the cucumber and julienne into pieces the size of a couple of matchsticks. Put the julienned cucumber into a strainer and sprinkle the salt on top. Peel the carrot and julienne into pieces the same size as the cucumber and set aside. Chop the scallion and set aside.

In a bowl, mix the tahini, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and chili oil or flakes if they’re being used.

When the chicken is cooked all the way through, remove it from the pot and let it cool. Slice it thinly.

On 4 plates, arrange the cucumber and carrot in the middle. Pile 1/4 of the chicken on each plate on top of the vegetables. Pour the sauce on top of the chicken and vegetables. Garnish with the scallion and szechuan pepper.

My tip: I cut the soy sauce to 2 tablespoons for a thicker and less overwhelmingly soy flavored sauce.