Hainanese Chicken and Rice

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Singapore is an island nation, consisting of one large island and many smaller islands surrounding it, located of the coast of Malaysia. It has little variation on weather other than monsoon season when it rains more frequently than usual. Its cuisine has had many cultural influences from the countries that surround it, Malaysia, China, Japan, and Korea, as well as India, and Britain. This is largely due to Singapore being an important international port. Interestingly, a common greeting among the Singaporean Chinese is “have you eaten?”. Hainanese Chicken and Rice is generally considered to be one of Singapore’s’ national dishes. It originated in Hainan China and brought over to Singapore by immigrants and soon became popular.

Ingredients

Rice

  • 2 cups white rice (rinsed)                               

  • 1-inch piece of ginger (thinly sliced)                  

  • 1 clove of garlic (crushed)                   

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil                         

  • 3 cups chicken stock

Chicken

  • 1 whole chicken                

  • 4 pandan leaves                

  • 3 tsp salt                            

  • 1 2-inch piece of ginger (thinly sliced)

  • 3 spring onions                

  • 2 tsp sesame oil                

  • 1 cucumber (peeled and sliced)                    

  • Water                  

  • Coriander sprigs

Method

Rice

  1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot.

  2. Sauté the garlic and ginger in the oil, then add the rice and cook for two (0:02) minutes.

  3. Add three cups of chicken stock and stir to combine.

  4. Reduce heat to a simmer and place a lid on the pot.

  5. Cook for fifteen (0:15) minutes until the liquid has absorbed.

  6. Turn off the heat and let it stand for ten (0:10) minutes with the lid on.

Chicken

  1. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil.

  2. Flavor the water by adding a teaspoon of salt and the pandan leaves.

  3. Rub the rest of the salt over the chicken and place the ginger and green onions into the body cavity.

  4. Place the chicken, breast side down, into the pot of boiling water, and cover with a tight-fitting lid.

  5. Cook the chicken for forty-five (0:45) minutes.

  6. Turn off the heat and let stand for one (1:00) hour to allow the meat to continue cooking in the residual heat.

  7. Uncover the pot, remove the chicken, and place it in a large container of iced water for five (0:05) minutes.

  8. Remove the chicken and drain well, then pat dry with paper towels.

  9. Remove the ginger and green onions from the chicken.

  10. Lightly brush the chicken with sesame oil.

  11. Cut the chicken into pieces and then place on a serving platter.

  12. Garnish with cucumber slices and sprigs of coriander.

  13. Serve the chicken with the rice, along with an assortment of spicy sauces.

 

Recipe from www.nationalfoods.org