Roast chicken with Chinese flavours and cucumber and peanut salad

Name: Roast chicken with Chinese flavours and cucumber and peanut salad
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 4 Tbsp Japanese soy sauce, naturally brewed; 2 Tbsp Shao Xing Chinese rice cooking wine, or use medium sherry; 1 Tbsp Ginger juice, made by grating ginger and squeezing out the juice; 1 tsp Chinese five spice; 1 Tbsp Golden syrup; 3 Garlic cloves, crushed; 1 Tbsp Vegetable oil; ½ cup Water; 1 Chicken, size 14, cut down each side of the backbone with kitchen shears and through the breast cartilage, chicken opened out flat (Main); 1 large Cucumber, peeled, split in half lengthways, seeds scooped out with a teaspoon, cucumber cut into irregular 1cm thick x 10cm long sticks (or you could simply slice it 1cm thick into crescents) (Main); 1 Red chilli, thinly sliced; 2 Spring onions, thinly sliced; 1 handful Coriander sprigs; ¾ cup Roasted peanuts, unsalted, crushed coarsely or chopped; 1 tsp Sugar; 4 Tbsp Rice vinegar; 1 Tbsp Sesame oil; 6 servings Steamed jasmine rice

for 6 people

Tam West

Ray McVinnie

Chef and food writer

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Ingredients

4 Tbsp	Japanese soy sauce, naturally brewed
2 Tbsp	Shao Xing Chinese rice cooking wine, or use medium sherry
1 Tbsp	Ginger juice, made by grating ginger and squeezing out the juice
1 tsp	Chinese five spice
1 Tbsp	Golden syrup
3	Garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tbsp	Vegetable oil
½ cup	Water
1	Chicken, size 14, cut down each side of the backbone with kitchen shears and through the breast cartilage, chicken opened out flat (Main)
1 large	Cucumber, peeled, split in half lengthways, seeds scooped out with a teaspoon, cucumber cut into irregular 1cm thick x 10cm long sticks (or you could simply slice it 1cm thick into crescents) (Main)
1	Red chilli, thinly sliced
2	Spring onions, thinly sliced
1 handful	Coriander sprigs
¾ cup	Roasted peanuts, unsalted, crushed coarsely or chopped
1 tsp	Sugar
4 Tbsp	Rice vinegar
1 Tbsp	Sesame oil
6 servings	Steamed jasmine rice

Directions

Heat the oven to 200C. Line a large, shallow roasting tray with baking paper.
Put the soy sauce, wine or sherry, ginger juice, five spice, golden syrup, garlic, vegetable oil and water into a small bowl and mix until the golden syrup dissolves.
Put the chicken into a large mixing bowl and add the soy sauce mixture, turn the chicken over several times so the soy mix coats it. Cover and marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour or overnight.
Place the chicken on the paper-lined tray, skin side up. Spoon the marinade over the top. Place in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until cooked through. Test by inserting a small knife into the thickest part of the thigh and making sure the juices run out absolutely clear. If the chicken looks like it may burn before it is cooked, loosely cover with foil.
When the chicken is almost ready, put the cucumber, chilli, spring onions, coriander and peanuts into a large salad bowl. Put the sugar, vinegar and sesame oil into a small bowl and mix until the sugar dissolves then pour this over the salad just before serving. Mix, taste and season with salt.
Remove the chicken from the oven and place on a board.
Pour the cooking liquid in the bottom of the roasting dish into a small saucepan, skim off some of the fat, bring to the boil and boil to reduce by half so it is syrupy.
Using a meat cleaver or a large knife cut the chicken into serving portions. Don't worry too much about the bird's anatomy, just cut through or around the bones.
Serve with the reduced cooking liquid, steamed jasmine rice and the cucumber salad.