Hainanese Chicken Rice

Ingredients

For the rice

• 3 cups long grain rice
• 2 tablespoons chicken fat, with skin (I know..but it makes the rice taste really good)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2-3 cm ginger, grated
• 3-4 garlic cloves, grated
• 1-2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 3 1/2 cups chicken stock, according to rice package instructions (or more, reserved from chicken that you will boil)
• 2 screwpine leaves (optional..it will make the rice more fragrant)

Hainanese chicken

• 1 whole chicken
• water, enough for boiling chicken
• 1 piece thumb sized ginger, smashed
• 4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed slightly
• 1 teaspoon salt

Chilli garlic sauce for dipping

• 10 fresh red chilies
• 2 cm piece ginger
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock (from the boiled chicken. This stock is essential for the chilli sauce)

Ginger sauce for dipping

• 75 g ginger
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock (again stock from the boiled chicken)

Sauce for chicken

• 1 tablespoon garlic oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 5 tablespoons light soya sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (to taste)
• 3 tablespoons chicken broth (from boiled chicken)

Garnishing

• fresh coriander leaves
• sliced spring onion
• sliced cucumber

Directions

1. 1

   First of all wash the rice then place it on to a tea towel or colander to dry. Then, prepare the chicken.Bring enough water to boil in a large pot.Once boil, add in the salt, ginger,garlic and chicken. Lower the heat and cook chicken for about 20 - 25 minutes, uncovered. It is very important to boil the chicken very slowly over low flame.Turn of flame and cover the pot. Allow the chicken to steep inside for another 20-25 minutes. Remove chicken and immerse it into a basin of cold water for 5-6 minutes.Take chicken out and drain in a colander to drip dry before cutting it into serving pieces.

2. 2

   While the chicken is drip drying, prepare the rice.Heat up wok and add in the chicken fat and water.Bring to a low simmering boil until oil is released from the fat. Add in the ginger and garlic and fry well (without burning the garlic) Remove and discard the chicken fat and skin. Add in the rice that has been dried and salt and stir fry briskly about 1 - 2 minutes.Transfer rice into an electric rice cooker or pot. Add in the chicken broth from the boiled chicken together with the screwpine leaves if using.If cooking in a pot, cook over low flame stirring occasionally so as not to let the bottom of the rice burn.Boil until rice is cook.

3. 3

   While the rice is cooking, you can prepare the chilli garlic sauce. Just add all ingredients into a blender or food processor, and give it a good whizz, until ingredients are well blended. Adjust the seasoning with more salt or sugar to taste.The chili garlic sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for about 2-3 days only.

4. 4

   To prepare the ginger sauce is the same.give the ingredients a good whiz in the blender.What gives the extra oomph for the sauces is the stock from the chicken broth -- so, do not omit this ingredient.

5. 5

   Lastly combine all the ingredients for the chicken sauce and pour it all over the cut up chicken. You can add more soya sauce and chicken broth to the chicken if you prefer. Just adjust the taste of the sauce with soya sauce and chicken broth.If you do not have garlic oil,you can fry a few cloves of garlic in oil for few minutes then take out oil and garlic pour it into a jar, and let the garlic steep inside the oil.

6. 6

   Finally, garnish the chicken with the coriander leaves, spring onions and cucumbers.

7. 7

   Enjoy meal with the rice and dipping sauces!