Sichuan 'Bang Bang' chicken with spicy peanut sauce recipe

Ingredients

• 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
• 1 cm piece of fresh ginger, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 red chilli, roughly chopped (or a good pinch of chilli flakes)
• 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns, crushed
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped (or 1 tsp chilli flakes)
• 4 tbsp no-added-sugar crunchy peanut butter
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• 200 g medium wholewheat noodles or soba noodles
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin batons
• 4 spring onions, cut into long, thin strips
• 1/3 cucumber, cut into long, thin strips
• 7.1 oz medium wholewheat noodles or soba noodles
• 1 handful fresh coriander or basil leaves (optional)