Figure on 1 cottontail rabbit per person if you are a hearty eater, but you can easily make one rabbit stretch for 2 people if you have a lot of rice. One domestic rabbit will easily feed 2-4 people. Most of the ingredients here are easily available in large supermarkets, and all are staples in Asian markets. There's no real substitute for the black bean paste or the Sichuan peppercorns, unfortunately.
2cottontail rabbits or squirrelsor 1 domestic rabbit
A 2-3 inch piece of ginger,unpeeled and chopped
1small onion,chopped
4tablespoonssoy sauce,divided
2/3cuproasted,salted peanuts
4scallions,sliced thin
2tablespoonsblack bean paste
3tablespoonspeanut oil or lard
2tablespoonschile bean paste
1tablespoonsugar
2teaspoonssesame oil
OPTIONAL TOPPING
2tablespoonsminced peanuts
1tablespoonsesame seeds
Instructions
Simmer the rabbits. You can cut up your rabbits, or you can just chop them in half with a cleaver -- you're going to pull off the meat anyway. Cover them in water in a large pot and add the ginger, onion and 3 tablespoons of soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then drop the heat to low so you barely have any bubbles. Simmer like this until the meat wants to fall off the bone, maybe 45 minutes to an hour, or up to 2 hours for an old squirrel.
While the rabbit is cooking, make the topping by toasting the sesame seeds, sichuan peppercorns and minced peanuts in a dry pan over medium-high heat until they are fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Move to a mortar and pestle and grind roughly. Set aside.
When the rabbit is done, move it to a platter and allow to cool somewhat. Strip the meat off the bones and chop into cubes. Set aside in a large bowl.
In a wok or a saute pan, heat the peanut oil over high heat. Add the black bean paste and the chile bean paste and stir-fry for 30 seconds to a minute. Turn off the heat and mix in the sugar, sesame oil and remaining soy sauce.
Pour the sauce into the bowl with the rabbit and toss with the peanuts and the scallions. Serve at once over rice.