Hainanese Chicken Rice 🇨🇳

Who doesn't like Hainanese chicken rice?  Think of tender, silky morsels of chicken accompanied by aromatic rice, dipping sauces, and a bowl of hot broth.  A signature dish of Singapore and Malaysia, introduced to the region by settlers from Hainan Island in southern China, it is the ultimate Asian comfort food.  I remember finding it being served at the Hong Kong International Airport to my delight after a long exhausting flight in transit.  All is well after you've eaten it.  The whole chicken is poached and everything is used for the meal, nothing wasted.  However, it is important that you neither overcook nor undercook the chicken during the poaching process.  There are many styles and ways of preparing it.  After much research and experimentation, I have come up with this simplified version of the recipe for the home cook.  Do watch the video on how Australian celebrity chef Adam Liaw does it by clicking on the link at the bottom of the recipe.

Serves 4-6 

                                                                The Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole chicken, about 1.6 kg / 3½ lb, in room temperature
• 5 knobs of unpeeled ginger
• 2 spring onions
• sea salt
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• a few sprigs of coriander leaves for garnishing

Dressing:                                                                                            

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• ½ cup poaching stock

METHOD

1. Rub the chicken, inside and out with 2 tablespoons of salt.  Use gloves.  Rinse off salt under the tap and pat dry with paper towels.  This exfoliates the skin and removes any loose fragments.  Set aside.
2. Crush the ginger pieces and the white parts of the spring onions to release their flavour.  Pop them into a stock pot with about 4 litres /1 gallon of water.  Add 2 teaspoons salt and let it come to a boil over high heat.
3. Lower the chicken gently into the boiling water using poultry hooks, or place a piece of cooking twine about 50cm/ 20" in length underneath the two wings and then tie the ends together over the top of the chicken with a double knot, so you can hold on to and suspend the chicken from.  Lift the chicken in and out of the water several times to fill and drain its cavity before letting it submerge in the pot, breast side down.  This is to ensure the chicken cooks through eventually. 
4. Bring the water back to a boil, then immediately turn it down to very low.  The chicken should be fully submerged in the water.  Poach the chicken for 45 minutes in a lazy simmer with the water steaming but not bubbling at any time.  (So, don't walk away totally, you've got to watch it!)
5. When time is up, carefully lift the chicken out of the stock using the poultry hooks or the string attachment, trying not to break the skin.  Plunge the chicken into a large bowl or sink of iced water and let it sit for 10 minutes.
6. Remove the chicken from the iced water and drain well by suspending it over a bowl or sink for a few minutes.  The liquid that comes out of the cavity should be clear, not pink.
7. Brush the chicken all over with sesame oil.  Let it cool completely on a large plate.
8. Joint the chicken.  Trim off neck, back bones wing tips and add them to the stock to enrich its flavour.  Remove the bones from the breasts, thighs and legs and slice the meat into bitesize pieces.  Arrange them on a serving platter.
9. Combine all the ingredients to make the dressing in a bowl, them drizzle it over the chicken.  Garnish with sprigs of coriander leaves.

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 The Rice

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup jasmine rice, washed and drained
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 2 pieces of ginger, peeled and smashed
• 1 few pandas leaves tied in a knot (optional)
• 2½ cups poaching stock, strained

METHOD

1. In a saucepan, fry the garlic and ginger in 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat until fragrant.  Discard the garlic and ginger.
2. Add rice to the saucepan and mix gently with a wooden spoon to coat the rice with oil.
3. Add poaching stock.  Add the pandas leaves if using.
4. Bring to the boil over high heat and continue to boil for about 5 minutes.
5. Reduce the heat to low when most of the liquid has been absorbed, leaving little craters on top of the rice.  Cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and let it stand for another 10 minutes.
7. Pack rice into small bowls and invert one onto each individual plate to serve with slices of the chicken.

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The Broth

INGREDIENTS

• poaching stock, strained
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• sea salt
• 1 chicken stock cube (optional)

METHOD

1. Bring the stock to a boil.  Season with salt according to taste.  A chicken stock cube can be added to enhance the flavour.
2. Ladle hot broth into individual serving bowls.  Sprinkle each bowl with a little chopped spring onions.

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Dipping Sauces

Chicken rice is traditionally accompanied by various dipping sauces   Bottled sweet chilli sauce and 'Kecap Manis' (Indonesian sweet soy sauce) go well with it.  Serve them in small individual dishes for each person.  For a more authentic and tantalising sauce, make the ginger and spring onion sauce as follows:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ cup vegetable oil

METHOD

Heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan until it is smoking, then pour the hot oil over the ingredients in a heat proof bowl.  Stir to combine.

Source (with adaptations): Adam Liaw