Hainanese Chicken Rice
My husband likes to stand outside our door and have a one sided conversation with himself regarding what’s cooking at home. He takes a deep breath and makes a few guesses before he comes in and more often than not he is right. That was a long time ago and I am now used to it!
When we first moved to Malaysia, we were over whelmed with the variety of food available everywhere. Gradually thanks to friends and our adventurous spirit we made a list of foods to try and ticked them off one by one. Two and a half decades later we still have a few left. Chicken Rice became one of our favourites and I am so glad to have learnt how to make it from a good friend who whole heartedly shared her family recipes with me.
This three-in-one dish (chicken, rice, and soup) originated in Hainan, a tropical island off China’s southern coast, and has become a much loved dish in Malaysian culture.
I have eaten so many different versions of Chicken Rice after moving to Malaysia and every one of them is lip smacking delicious. We all love it, so I make a large batch and freeze it for a lazy day.
This recipe takes a while, but is absolutely worth it.
The chicken and broth can be made the previous day to save time. We don’t like the skin, so I use skinless chicken and follow the same procedure. When I am hard pressed for time, I skip the ice bath. And we don’t really feel there’s any difference in the taste. For those of you who prefer roasted chicken rice, I will post the recipe another day,
For Chicken
1 whole chicken about 2 kgs, wash and rub skin with 2 tbsp rock salt to open up the pores and get rid of the yuk and guk; 4 inch piece of ginger, sliced; 3 stalks of spring onions, washed and folded onto 3; 1 tbsp gingely oil ( sesame oil).
1 tbsp light soy sauce
For Rice
2 tbsp olive oil; 3 fat cloves garlic, minced; 1 /1/2 inch ginger, minced or grated; 2 cups basmathi rice, soaked in water to cover for 30 minutes; 4 cups broth from poaching chicken; 1tsp sesame oil; 1 tsp rock salt; 2 Pandanus leaves, washed and knotted.
For The Chilli Sauce: Blend Together until smooth and a beautiful orange red.
1 tbsp lime juice; 2 tbsp chicken broth (from poached chicken); 2 tsp brown sugar; 4 fresh red chillies; 2 large cloves garlic; 1 inch ginger; 2 tsp brown sugar;1 tsp chicken oil from the broth; salt to taste
For The Ginger Garlic Sauce: 2 tbsp grated ginger; 2 large cloves garlic, minced; salt to taste; 1 tbsp lime juice; 1 tbsp spring onions, minced; 1 tbsp chicken broth; 1 tsp chicken oil from broth
Accompaniments and Garnish:
Coriander leaves and 1 medium cucumber sliced at an angle to get oval slices ( see photograph)
For Chicken:
Rub generously with salt inside and outside. Wash and stuff the chicken with the ginger slices and the green onion. Place the chicken in a large pot and fill with cold water to cover (about 2 inches above chicken). Add the Pandanus leaves and salt to taste. ( I added 2 tsp pink Himalayan salt). Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then lower heat to simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes more (less if you’re using a smaller chicken). Check for doneness by sticking a skewer into the flesh under the leg and see if the juices run clear. Mine took about 40 minutes.
When the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the gas stove. Immediately carefully transfer the chicken to an ice bath to stop the cooking process ( to keep meat soft and tender and give the skin a great texture ). Discard the ginger and spring onions. Reserve the broth for the rice, sauce, and the soup. When cool, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and rub the sesame oil all over the chicken. This is to prevent the chicken from drying out. Cut into pieces and keep hot.
Just before serving pour 1 tbsp light soy sauce over chicken to add some colour and more taste.
For Rice:
Wash rice 3 to 4 times under running water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over high heat. When hot, lower flame and add the ginger garlic and fry until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic ginger. Add the drained rice and stir to coat for just one minute. Add the sesame oil and gently mix.
Transfer to rice cooker and add 4 cups of broth, salt and the knotted pandanus leaves. Switch the cooker on and wait for the rice to cook. When done, gently fork to fluff the grains. Keep hot.
Ginger Garlic Sauce:
Heat the cooking oil until very hot; when you see wisps of smoke, turn off heat. Add the garlic and ginger immediately and let it sizzle for a few seconds. Add the chicken broth, salt to taste and lime juice. Blend all ingredients together to a smooth consistency. Transfer to bowl and scatter spring onions on top ( see photograph).
For Soup:
You should have about 5cups broth left over to serve as soup. Just before serving, heat the soup, add salt and garnish with spring onions.
Serve the Chicken Rice with Chilli sauce, light soy sauce, Ginger Garlic Sauce, cucumber slices, and a bowl of hot
broth garnished with coriander leaves and spring onions.
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