Hainanese Chicken Rice is a dish of Chinese origin based on a well-known Hainanese dish called Wenchang chicken. However, as time passed, modifications were made to the recipe to suit the preferences of the locals.
Right, here's what you need for a mouth watering super-exotic dish:
For the rice
3 cups long grain rice
2 tablespoons chicken fat , with skin (I know its terribly fattening but it makes the rice taste incredibly nice)
2 tablespoons water
2 -3 cm ginger , grated
3 -4 garlic cloves , grated or mashed
1 -2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
3 1/2 cups chicken stock , according to rice package instructions (or more, reserved from chicken that you will boil)
for the chicken
1 whole chicken preferably organic
water , enough for boiling chicken
chicken stock
1 piece thumb sized ginger , smashed
a few scallions to stuff the cavity of the chicken
Ginger sauce for dipping
75 g ginger
6 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lime juice
2 tablespoons chicken stock (again stock from the boiled chicken)
Sauce for chicken
1 tablespoon garlic oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
5 tablespoons light soya sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (to taste)
3 tablespoons chicken broth (from boiled chicken)
First of all wash the rice then place it on to a tea towel or colander to dry. Then, prepare the chicken.Bring enough water to boil in a large pot. Stuff the chicken cavity with fresh scallions and ginger pieces. Once boil, add in the stock and dip the stuffed chicken a few times in the boiling water. This trick will tighten the skin and prevent it from breaking it. Submerge the chicken in water breast down, making sure the water level just covers the extremity of the chicken: you want your chicken to poach slowly, not to boil! Lower the heat and cook chicken for about 20 - 25 minutes, uncovered. It is very important to boil the chicken very slowly over low flame.Turn of flame and cover the pot. Allow the chicken to steep inside for another 20-25 minutes. Remove chicken and immerse it into a basin of cold water for 5-6 minutes.Take chicken out and drain in a colander to drip dry before cutting it into serving pieces.
While the chicken is drip drying, prepare the rice.Heat up wok and add in the chicken fat and water.Bring to a low simmering boil until oil is released from the fat. Add in the ginger and garlic and fry well (without burning the garlic) Remove and discard the chicken fat and skin. Add in the rice that has been dried and salt and stir fry briskly about 1 - 2 minutes.Transfer rice into an electric rice cooker or pot. Add in the chicken broth from the boiled chicken together with the screwpine leaves if using. If cooking in a pot, cook over low flame stirring occasionally so as not to let the bottom of the rice burn.Boil until rice is cook.
While the rice is cooking, you can prepare the chilli garlic sauce. Just add all ingredients into a blender or food processor, and give it a good whizz, until ingredients are well blended. Adjust the seasoning with more salt or sugar to taste.The chili garlic sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for about 2-3 days only.
To prepare the ginger sauce is the same.give the ingredients a good whiz in the blender.What gives the extra oomph for the sauces is the stock from the chicken broth -- so, do not omit this ingredient.
Lastly combine all the ingredients for the chicken sauce and pour it all over the cut up chicken. You can add more soya sauce and chicken broth to the chicken if you prefer. Just adjust the taste of the sauce with soya sauce and chicken broth.If you do not have garlic oil,you can fry a few cloves of garlic in oil for few minutes then take out oil and garlic pour it into a jar, and let the garlic steep inside the oil.
Finally, garnish the chicken with the coriander leaves, spring onions and cucumbers.
Enjoy meal with the rice and dipping sauces!
