Hainanese Chicken Rice Recipe

Hainanese Chicken Rice Recipe

(Singapore Recipe)

1 chicken, preferably free-range and approximately 1½ kg (3 lb)

2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced

2 stalks coriander leaves, chopped roughly

1 teaspoon salt

2 stalks of scallions, knotted

1 thumb-length knob of ginger, bruised

5 whole garlic cloves, bruised with skin

Oil for rubbing chicken

Rice:

4 cups rice

4 cups chicken stock

3 whole garlic cloves, with skin

2 slices ginger

2 tablespoons oil or chicken fat

1 teaspoon salt

4 pandan (screwpine) leaves, knotted

Sauce:

10-12 red chilies

2 cloves garlic, peeled

Lime juice

½ cup chicken stock or cooked chicken fat

3 thumb-length knobs of ginger

Salt and sugar to taste

Method:

Rub 1 teaspoon salt all over chicken and stuff cavity with scallions, ginger and garlic.  Bring water in a pot large enough to submerge the chicken to boil.  Place chicken into the pot and allow water to come to the boil again.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for another half an hour.  Remove chicken and plunge into a basin of cold water to obtain silky skin.  Rub oil all over chicken and set aside.  Set aside stock to flavor rice and chili and ginger sauces.  Now make the sauce.  Process ginger and ¼ cup of stock or fat in a blender until fine.  Season with salt and sugar to taste.  Now process chilies with remaining stock and garlic.  Add salt, sugar and lime juice to taste.  Set aside.  To cook the rice, heat oil or chicken fat in a wok and brown garlic and ginger.  Add washed rice grains and fry until fragrant.  Add stock and cook in a rice cooker together with pandan (screwpine) leaves until dry and fluffy.  Chop chicken into pieces and garnish with cucumber slices and coriander.  Serve with rice.