Chef Sam Cheung · Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant

Yin-Yang Salad

Serves 4 to 6

YIN-YANG IS an apt name for this dish that combines two distinctly flavoured and coloured poultry meats: the white poached chicken and the dark barbecued duck. This Westernized meat salad is based on a cold appetizer that originated in Hong Kong and was brought to Vancouver by Chinese chefs who immigrated in the late 1970s. It’s a refreshing, summery salad served either as the first course of a meal or as an integral part of the appetizer platter for banquets.

Famous for its authentic dim sum, signature seafood dishes and roasted squab, Sun Sui Wah, which opened in the mid-1980s, was one of the first restaurants to build Vancouver’s reputation for outstanding Asian food, and it continues to win awards and rave reviews across Canada and in Asia.

3 slices ginger

one 8 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp light soy sauce

½ tsp oyster sauce

1 cup barbecued duck meat, julienned

1 Tbsp finely chopped pickled ginger

1 Tbsp hoisin sauce

1 Red Delicious apple, peeled, cored and julienned

1 cup julienned honeydew melon

1 cup julienned cantaloupe

1 Tbsp plain yogurt

1 tsp white sesame seeds

IN A SMALL saucepan, bring 2 cups water and ginger slices to a boil on high heat. Add chicken breast and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover and poach for 20 to 30 minutes. (To test for doneness, poke a knife into the thickest part of the breast. If the juices run clear, the meat is cooked through.) Discard the cooking water and ginger.

Transfer chicken to a strainer and place under cold running water for 2 to 3 minutes, or until chicken is cold to the touch. Turn off the water and allow chicken to drain for 10 minutes. Julienne the chicken meat.

In a medium bowl, toss chicken with sesame oil, soy sauce and oyster sauce and allow to marinate for about 15 minutes. Stir in duck meat, pickled ginger and hoisin sauce. Add apple, honeydew and cantaloupe, then gently fold in yogurt. Transfer salad to a serving platter, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately.