Bon Bon Chicken - Szechuan

Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium, add chicken, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove chicken and cool, reserving broth in saucepan.

Sprinkle cucumber slices with salt and let stand for 15 minutes. Squeeze slices to remove water and arrange on a platter.

Soak bean sheets or noodles in 3 cups hot water for 5 minutes to soften. Bring chicken broth to a boil.

Cut bean sheets into 1/2 inch widths or noodles into 4 inch lengths. Place in a large strainer and dip into boiling broth for 5 seconds. Drain well and arrange on top of cucumbers.

Cut chicken into 2 inch by 1/3 inch shreds with a cleaver. Place chicken shreds on top of noodles and sprinkle with peppersalt, garlic and ginger.

Combine ingredients for Seasoning Sauce in a small bowl and mix well. Pour sauce over chicken and serve at room temperature. Toss at table just before serving.

For Peppersalt: Heat a medium saucepan over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Add peppercorns and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Grind peppercorns to a fine powder with a mortar and pestle or a pepper mill. Add salt, mix well. Store in a tightly covered container.

For Chili Oil: Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for 1 minute until a piece of chopped pepper sizzles when dropped into the oil.

Remove saucepan from heat. Add chopped peppers with seeds to hot oil. Cover and let set for 10 minutes.

Stir in cayenne pepper to mix well. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 8 hours. Strain into a jar, then cover and refrigerate.