Baw law gai

Chicken with pineapple

This dish provides interesting flavour contrasts between the sweet tang of pineapple and the stinging bite of Sichuan pepper.

Quantity	Ingredient
1/2 teaspoon	ground sichuan peppercorns or black pepper
1 tablespoon	cornflour
1/2 teaspoon	salt
250g	chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon	light soy sauce
2 teaspoons	sesame oil
1	small garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon	peanut oil
1/2	small ripe pineapple, chopped
or 425g	tinned unsweetened pineapple, drained
6	spring onions, thinly sliced
	fresh coriander leaves, to garnish

Use a mortar and pestle to grind the Sichuan pepper, then pass through a fine sieve, discarding the seeds. In a bowl, combine the cornflour, salt and Sichuan pepper, then add the chicken and mix well to coat. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic and mix well.
To make the sauce, combine the pineapple juice and cornflour in a bowl and stir until smooth. Stir in the soy sauce. Set aside.
Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry until it changes colour. Add the pineapple, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the sauce and stir until thickened, then add the spring onion and toss to combine. Garnish with the coriander leaves and serve with rice or noodles.