Hainanese Chicken Rice
A dish popular in the Chinese populations of South East Asia it is originally from the Hainan province of Southern China. What we love about it is that it is so delicious and quite easy to make. Yes, there are a lot of ingredients, but they are all available in the stores in town. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be bringing this recipe out to feed the family or dinner party guests.
Serves 4-6
Chicken
1.5kg whole chicken
¼ cup salt
large knob ginger, peeled, sliced into 5mm pieces
1 bunch spring onions, roots trimmed
bunch fresh scallion
sesame oil
Chili Sauce
2 tbsp sambal
2 tbsp sriracha
2 tsp sugar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 small knob ginger, peeled, minced
Juice of one lime
2 tbsp reserved chicken poaching broth
Rice
60ml sesame oil
4 tbsp chicken fat, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small knob ginger, peeled, minced
1 tsp salt
2 cups long grain rice
2 cups of reserved chicken poaching broth
Ginger Garlic Sauce
1 small knob ginger, peeled, minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
Salt to taste
To Serve
1 bunch coriander, rinsed, roots removed
2 cucumbers, finely sliced
Soy sauce
Chicken
Remove the fat from the internal cavity of the chicken and set aside. Take half the salt and sprinkle over the chicken inside and out. Rub the salt into the chicken to clean the skin and the inside. Rinse the chicken very well. Stuff the cavity with the ginger and spring oven. Place in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes until done. Remove from heat, and reserve the broth. Remove ginger and spring onions and discard. Place the chicken in an ice bath for 5 minutes to stop cooking. Remove. Pat dry and sprinkle the chicken liberally with sesame oil. Set aside.
Rice
Heat the oil in a wok and fry the fat until browned. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 10 minutes until fragrant. Add the rice and cook for 3 minutes to add a tinge of colour. Remove the rice and place it in a rice cooker. Add 2 cups of poaching stock and cook with salt in the rice cooker. (If you don’t have a rice cooker, place the rice in a medium saucepan and cover with enough poaching liquid until the liquid comes up to your first knuckle if you insert your index finger to touch the rice. Bring to a boil and when little holes appear in the top of the rice, reduce heat to very low, cover and cook for a further 10 minutes or until done).
Chili Sauce
Make the chilli sauce by mixing the ingredients together in a bowl until the sugar is dissolved.
Ginger Garlic Sauce
Make the ginger garlic sauce by mixing the ingredients together in a bowl.
Carve the chicken into bite-sized portions. Serve on a platter with sauces, rice, cucumber and coriander. Serve with ice-cold beer or chilled white wine.
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Hainanese Chicken Rice
Ingredients
- 1.5kg whole chicken
- ¼ cup salt
- large knob ginger, peeled, sliced into 5mm pieces
- 1 bunch spring onions, roots trimmed
- bunch fresh scallion
- sesame oil
- 2 tbsp sambal
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 small knob ginger, peeled, minced
- Juice of one lime
- 2 tbsp reserved chicken poaching broth
- 60ml sesame oil
- 4 tbsp chicken fat, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small knob ginger, peeled, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups long-grain rice
- 2 cups of reserved chicken poaching broth
- 1 small knob ginger, peeled, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 4 tablespoons peanut oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- Salt to taste
- To Serve
- 1 bunch coriander, rinsed, roots removed
- 2 cucumbers, finely sliced
- Soy sauce
Method
- Chicken
- Remove the fat from the internal cavity of the chicken and set aside. Take half the salt and sprinkle over the chicken inside and out. Rub the salt into the chicken to clean the skin and the inside. Rinse the chicken very well. Stuff the cavity with the ginger and spring oven. Place in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes until done. Remove from heat, and reserve the broth. Remove ginger and spring onions and discard. Place the chicken in an ice bath for 5 minutes to stop cooking. Remove. Pat dry and sprinkle the chicken liberally with sesame oil. Set aside.
- Rice
- Heat the oil in a wok and fry the fat until browned. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 10 minutes until fragrant. Add the rice and cook for 3 minutes to add a tinge of colour. Remove the rice and place it in a rice cooker. Add 2 cups of poaching stock and cook with salt in the rice cooker. (If you don’t have a rice cooker, place the rice in a medium saucepan and cover with enough poaching liquid until the liquid comes up to your first knuckle if you insert your index finger to touch the rice. Bring to a boil and when little holes appear in the top of the rice, reduce heat to very low, cover and cook for a further 10 minutes or until done).
- Chilli Sauce
- Make the chilli sauce by mixing the ingredients together in a bowl until the sugar is dissolved.
- Ginger Garlic Sauce
- Make the ginger garlic sauce by mixing the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Carve the chicken into bite-sized portions. Serve on a platter with sauces, rice, cucumber and coriander. Serve with ice-cold beer or chilled white wine.
