Authentic Hainanese Chicken Rice

Ingredients

Localized ingredient list prepared for quick scanning.

• 3 cups long grain rice
• 2 tablespoons chicken fat, with skin
• 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
• 2 screwpine leaves (optional)
• 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
• 10 fresh red chilies
• 2 cm piece ginger
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock
• 75 g ginger
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon garlic oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 5 tablespoons light soya sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (to taste)
• 3 tablespoons chicken broth
• fresh coriander leaves
• sliced spring onion
• sliced cucumber

Method

Follow the steps in order for the best result.

1. Begin by thoroughly washing the rice. Spread it out on a tea towel or in a colander to ensure it dries completely.
2. Next, prepare the chicken. In a large pot, bring a generous amount of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the salt, smashed ginger, smashed garlic, and the whole chicken. Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer the chicken, uncovered, for approximately 20-25 minutes. It's crucial to maintain a slow, gentle simmer.
3. After simmering, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and allow the chicken to steep in the hot water for another 20-25 minutes. Remove the chicken and immediately immerse it in a basin of cold water for 5-6 minutes. This helps to stop the cooking process and keeps the chicken moist.
4. Remove the chicken from the cold water and place it in a colander to drip dry completely. Once dried, chop the chicken into serving-sized pieces.
5. While the chicken is drying, start preparing the rice. Heat a wok over medium heat and add the chicken fat and water. Allow it to simmer gently until the oil is released from the fat. Add the grated ginger and garlic, and sauté until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic. Remove and discard the rendered chicken fat and skin.
6. Add the dried rice and salt to the wok, and stir-fry briskly for about 1-2 minutes. Transfer the rice to an electric rice cooker or a pot.
7. Pour in the chicken broth (reserved from boiling the chicken) along with the screwpine leaves, if using. If cooking in a pot, cook over low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
8. While the rice is cooking, prepare the chili garlic sauce. Combine all the chili garlic sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Adjust the seasoning with salt or sugar to taste. Store the chili garlic sauce in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
9. To prepare the ginger sauce, simply combine all the ginger sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. The chicken broth adds a significant depth of flavor to the sauce, so don't omit it.
10. For the chicken sauce, combine all the listed ingredients and pour generously over the cut-up chicken pieces. Adjust the taste of the sauce with additional soya sauce and chicken broth as needed.
11. If you don't have garlic oil, you can easily make your own by frying a few garlic cloves in oil for a few minutes. Remove the garlic and pour the infused oil into a jar, allowing the garlic to steep in the oil.
12. Finally, garnish the chicken with fresh coriander leaves, sliced spring onions, and sliced cucumber.
13. Serve the Hainanese chicken rice hot, accompanied by the dipping sauces. Enjoy this flavorful and satisfying meal!