Japanese Chicken Sesame Salad Recipe (Banbanji)

Banbanji (バンバンジー) is a cold chicken dish with fresh vegetables and a sesame dressing. It's especially enjoyed in the summer. If you can find sesame dressing at your Asian grocer, you can use that. If not, this banbanji recipe shows you how to make your own from scratch. Enjoy this light and healthy dish.

Serves 2-4    243 cal./serving

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts (9 oz./250g)
• a pinch of salt
• 1 pack (9 oz./250g) bean sprouts
• 2 cucumbers
• 3/4 cup roasted sesame seeds
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved or 3 tomatoes, sliced
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. mirin( or 3 Tbsp. sake + 1 Tbsp. sugar)
• 3 Tbsp. rice vinegar

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a small pan of lightly salted water and boil about 10 minutes. Allow to cool in the water. Remove chicken and save the stock. When cool, tear chicken into long thin strips by hand.
2. In a separate pan, blanch bean sprouts, then immediately rinse in cold water.
3. Cut cucumber long, thin matchstick like strips.
4. Make sauce by grinding sesame seeds in a grinding bowl, mortar, or food processor. Add soy sauce, mirin, and vinegar,. Then mix in some of the chicken stock, little by little, stirring until mixture is smooth.
5. Arrange cut tomatoes, bean sprouts, cucumbers, and chicken on a plate. Pour on sesame sauce and serve.