This dish is ubiquitous in Malaysia and Singapore. Every high-end restaurant, as well as, hole in the wall food stall offers this dish. I never really bothered to learn how to make this when I lived in Singapore because I thought it was complicated to make. I also thought it was ridiculously unhealthy and complicated to make. I was also under the assumption that the rice was cooked in coconut milk and chicken broth. I was so wrong! There is no coconut milk added. This dish was very easy to make, albeit time consuming.
I think it would also make a perfect dish for the fall and winter season.
I used the recipe from a well-known food blog, Steamy Kitchen, but with a few minor modifications. My modifications:
1- I added in the cilantro and fresh lime to the poached chicken both.
2- I added minced onions, ginger, garlic to the savory rice mixture.
3. I used brown rice instead of jasmine rice
4. I also used cherry tomatoes as a garnish.
Ingredients:
3 lbs whole chicken (organic)
small bunch of scallions/onions (with clean roots intact)
small bunch of cilantro
1/2 vidalia onion (minced)
1 large ginger, sliced into thin chunks
2 cups brown rice (the original recipe calls for jasmine rice)
Coarse sea salt/fine salt combo
Minced garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
1. Rub the skin of the whole chicken gently with the salt combination. (To remove extra grime). The rinse the chicken in water and pat dry.
2. Sprinkle 1 tsp salt inside the chicken cavity. Stuff the chicken cavity with the sliced ginger, scallions and cilantro. Use a string or rubber band to tie the ends together and close the cavity.
3. Place the chicken in a large pot of water. Add the extra scallions, ginger slices and cilantro + 6 glasses of cold water. Bring the water to a boil. Lower heat and allow the broth to simmer.
4. Slice the fresh lime i half and add to the pot of poached chicken. Allow the chicken to simmer in the pot for 2 hours.
5. Prepare cold water + ice in a large mixing bowl.
6. Using 2 cooking ladles. Gently remove the poached chicken and transfer this into the ice bath . Allow this to sit for 10 minutes. Then remove from the ice bath and let it cool. (This will stop the cooking and allow the skin to gel, resulting in a better looking texture.)
7. Wrap the cooked chicken in a plastic wrap and set aside. (You can place this in the chiller)
8.. Do not trhrow away the broth as you will use this to cook the rice.
To cook the Rice:
1. Mince the onion in the food processor.
2. Take the extra ginger from the broth. Rince in running water so it will cool. Peel the skin and slice into smaller pieces. Mince in the food processor.
3. In a medium sized pot, add 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Add the onions, let it sweat and caramelize.
4. Add the minced garlic and minced ginger. Stir fry for 2 more minutes.
5. Add the 2 cups of brown rice and stir fry for 3 minutes.
6. Add 4 cups of the ginger-scallions-cilantro-chicken browth into the pot. (Use a sieve to make sure that none of the meat and herbs are added to the rice). Bring the pot to a boil. Then, lower the heat (to 1 or 2) and allow the rice mixture to simmer until its dry and the rice is cooked.
To serve the Hainan Chicken Rice.
1. For each serving, add 1 cup of rice to the serving plate. Slice the chicken pieces into thin slices. (probably 1/4 of the chicken). Arrange this nicely on the plate.
2. Garnish with thin cucumber slices, sliced chili peppers, and fresh cilantro.
Note: You can use chili sauce for added flavor. (You can purchase the chili sauce at the Asian supermarkets).
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