A California culinary legend has died at age 106. Sylvia Cheng Wu, known lovingly as Madame Wu by her celebrity regulars including Mae West and
Robert Redford, owned Madame Wu's Garden, a Santa Monica restaurant and Hollywood hotspot that operated from 1959 to 1998. She leaves behind two
sons, a gaggle of grandkids, and - her biggest claim to fame - what is
likely the original recipe for Chinese chicken salad.

In contrast to most of today's Chinese chicken salads, Madame Wu's was basically undressed. The chicken thighs or drumsticks were tossed with
sesame oil, soy sauce, mustard paste, and Chinese five-spice seasoning,
but the salad itself was dry. Apparently, that was its selling point.

White chefs are often celebrated for mashing up non-Western cuisines
with their own - even if the term "Asian fusion" has gone out of
fashion. Enter Wolfgang Puck, the celebrity chef whose restaurant down
the road from Madame Wu's famously served a mango-studded "Chinois
chicken salad." To this day, many in the food world blindly credit Puck
with popularizing the salad without acknowledging that Madame Wu's
recipe preceded his. Yet at the time it was only Wu, and chefs like her,
who faced questions of authenticity.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Madame Wu's Chinese Chicken Salad
Categories: Poultry, Vegetables, Chilies, Herbs, Citrus
Yield: 5 servings

MMMMM-------------------------DRESSING-------------------------------
1/2 c Oil
1/4 c Rice vinegar
3 tb Smooth peanut butter
3 tb Soy sauce
4 1/2 ts Sesame oil
1 tb Dry mustard powder
1 tb Fresh lime juice
1 1/2 ts Honey
1 1/2 ts Toasted sesame seeds
1/2 ts Fine chopped fresh ginger
1 cl Garlic; fine chopped
Salt & pepper

MMMMM--------------------------SALAD---------------------------------
Oil; for frying
5 Wonton wrappers; in 1/4"
- strips
18 oz Cooked, bone-in, skin-on,
- chicken breasts; shredded
1/2 c Loose packed cilantro leaves
1/2 Head Napa cabbage; cored,
- shredded
1/2 Head romaine lettuce;
- shredded
3 oz (3/4 c) mung bean sprouts
10 Snow peas; thin sliced
4 Scallions, trimmed, thin
- sliced
1 md Carrot; peeled, shredded
1 md Cucumber; peeled, seeded,
- thin sliced
1 md Red bell pepper, seeded,
- thin sliced
1 Bird's-eye chile; thin
- sliced, garnish
Black sesame seeds; garnish
Coarse chopped roasted
- peanuts; garnish

MAKE THE DRESSING: In a medium bowl, whisk together the
oil, vinegar, peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil,
mustard powder, lime juice, honey, sesame seeds, ginger,
and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

MAKE THE SALAD: Into a small heavy-bottomed pot fitted
with a deep-fry thermometer, pour the oil to a depth of
2". Heat to 350+|F/175+|C and add the wontons. Cook,
stirring occasionally, until the strips are crisp, 20-30
seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a
paper-towel-lined plate.

In a large bowl, toss together the chicken, cilantro,
cabbage, and lettuce. Divide the salad among 4-6 serving
bowls, then top evenly with the sprouts, peas,
scallions, carrot, cucumber, and bell pepper. Drizzle
with the dressing, sprinkle on the chile, and garnish
with the sesame seeds, peanuts, and wonton strips.

Yield: 4 - 6 servings

RECIPE FROM: https://www.saveur.com

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