Hainanese chicken and rice

Two friends and I made this lovely dish at the weekend. One friend is from Singapore so we decided to try making what is basically the national dish of Singapore. Never mind that it comes from Hainan province in China. The dish is served room temperature with hot rice and hot soup. It is surprisingly easy to make although it did take us nearly three hours because we got sidetracked talking. For some of us, it is hard to stir and talk!




We made sauteed bok choy with garlic and fish sauce as a side dish.

Here is the recipe for the chicken and rice from recipe czar. When you make it, start with the chicken. While it is boiling and resting, make the sauces and the rice. We didn't make the chili sauce. Rather we bought the red colored garlic chili sauce available in supermarkets.

For the chicken:
1 whole chicken cut into pieces
1 large thumb size piece of ginger crushed
4-5 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed
1t salt
enough water to cover chicken for boiling
1 cucumber peeled and sliced
3 Roma tomatos sliced

Bring water to boil. Add garlic, salt, and ginger. Add chicken. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes on a slow simmer. Turn off heat and cover pot with lid. Let chicken sit for another 20 minutes. Then remove chicken and immerse in cold water. Slice chicken off the bone then cut into narrow slices. Slice the tomatoes and cucumber and arrange on a plate. Arrange the chicken on top of the vegetables.

For the chicken sauce:

1	tablespoon garlic oil (make this by sauteeing 2 cloves minced garlic in canola oil a minute or two until fragrant)
2	teaspoons sesame oil
5	tablespoons light soy sauce
1 1/2	tablespoons sugar (to taste)
3	tablespoons chicken broth (from boiled chicken)

Combine all ingredients. Pour over chicken. Garnish with chopped cilantro and sliced green onions.

For the rice:
3 c. jasmine rice
2 T fat (from chicken or canola oil)

2-3	cm ginger, grated
3-4	garlic cloves, grated
1-2	teaspoon salt (to taste)
3	cups chicken stock, according to rice package instructions (or more, reserved from chicken that you will boil)

Heat the fat in a saucepan. Add the ginger and garlic. Stir for a minute or until fragrant. Add the rice and stir for a minute until it is coated. Add salt. Add chicken stock and cook according to package instructions.

For the dipping sauces:
Buy the garlic chili sauce at the supermarket and put in a small bowl.

Ginger sauce:
5 T peeled and cut up ginger
6 cloves of garlic
1/2 t salt
1T lime juice
3T chicken stock

In a blender or food processor blend the ingredients until it is the consistency of a coarse pesto. Put it in a small bowl and serve with the chili sauce.

To serve:
Serve rice mounded on dinner plates. Pass around the chicken. Serve the chicken stock in bowls with a garnish of cilantro and sliced green onions. Serve with dipping sauces.