#COOKING: HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE RECIPE

Hainanese Chicken Rice. Adapted from Tasty. You don’t ever forget having Hainanese Chicken Rice in Singapore at a Hawkers Market like Newton Circus. Though we do have some great hole-in-the-wall type restaurants in the GTA that serve the dish as well, venturing-out during isolation hasn’t been easy.

What I love about this national dish of Singapore is that the chicken is so incredibly juicy, while the rice is incredibly fragrant. You get THREE dipping sauces!!! I get that boiling chicken is a weird concept for some, but I tell you there is nothing worse than dry chicken to me.

This is my dad’s favourite dish so I thought I’d gave it a try. Even in his early Dementia, he was aware enough to ask, “Who taught you to make this?”. I adapted this recipe from Tasty whom did a fine job explaining this complex recipe. I did my own spin on the essential dipping sauces.

Full disclosure, once a chicken is frozen, thawed, boiled and cooked fully as it is here, it is impossible to avoid that red colour at the bone. If you can get over that bit and be reassured that it’s cooked, you will come to love this comforting dish.

Hainanese Chicken
5 lb whole chicken
4 slices of ginger (1/4″ thick)
1 bunch green onions
1/4 cup sea salt
2 tablespoons sesame oil

Instructions:
1. Clean chicken well and pat dry with paper towels. Trim fatty bits off for later use.
2. Season chicken inside and out with sea salt.
3. Stuff cavity of chicken with green onions and ginger.
4. Cover chicken about 1″ in water in large stock pot and bring to boil on high heat.
5. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer about 50 minutes.
6. Remove chicken from pot, reserving stock. Discard onion and ginger.
7. Immerse chicken in large bowl of ice cold water for 5 minutes.
8. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and rub chicken in sesame oil to keep moist.

Hainanese Rice
2 cups long grain rice
2 cups of reserved chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons reserved chicken fat
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:
1. In large skillet, oil, fry garlic, ginger, chicken fat and salt for about 10 minutes.
2. Scoop-out one quarter of this mixture for later use. Add-in rice. Cook for 3 minutes.
3. Transfer rice to rice cooker (discard fat), add 2 cups reserved stock and cook.

While rice is cooking, cut chicken and place on platter. Prepare three sauces.

Sweet Chili Sauce:
2 tablespoons Sambal Sauce
2 tablespoons Sriracha
1 chili pepper, seeds removed and chopped finely
2 teaspoons organic raw sugar
2 tablespoons reserved chicken broth
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon oil

In skillet, sautée garlic, ginger, onion and chili in oil. Stir-in sugar, vinegar, Sriracha and Sambal Sauce. Add lime juice and remove from heat.

Ginger-Garlic-Green Onion Sauce:
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
1 stalk green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons oil
Sea salt, to taste

In skillet, sautée garlic, ginger and green onions in oil. Add salt and vinegar. Cook for about a minute and remove from heat.

Dark Soy Dipping Sauce:
Reserved ginger and garlic
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
3 tablespoons dark sweet soy sauce* (recipe below)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons reserved chicken broth

Combine all in a bowl, mix well.

Serve chicken on rice with cucumber slices and dipping sauces. Garnish with cilantro.

*Dark Sweet Soy Sauce:
1/2 cup organic raw sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2-3 tablespoons water

Instructions:
1. Boil water and sugar, stirring constantly over medium heat.
2. When liquid thickens, reduce heat to medium-low, stirring constantly. Scrape sugar off sides of pan.
3. Once liquid is darkened, add in soy sauce, stirring constantly.
4. Once liquid is thick, remove from heat.
5. Transfer to a heatproof bottle for storage. Refrigerate. Sauce may crystallize but will dissolve when heated.

Gallery:

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A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Apr 14, 2020 at 7:00pm PDT

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)