Hainanese chicken rice

Ingredients

• 1.4 kg whole free-range chicken
• 350 g jasmine rice
• 80 g fresh ginger
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch scallions
• 1 piece cucumber
• 0.5 bunches fresh cilantro
• 3 pieces fresh red chilies
• 1 piece lime
• 2 leaves fresh or frozen pandan leaves
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp sugar
• to taste fine salt
• to taste ground white pepper
• 2.5 l water
• 40 g chicken fat

Method

1. Rub the chicken with salt, rinse, and massage with a little sesame oil; the skin should look clean and lightly satiny.
2. Bring the water to a gentle simmer with ginger, scallions, garlic, pandan, and salt. Lower the chicken into the pot and maintain very low heat; the liquid should barely tremble and the meat should yield gently when pierced.
3. Turn off the heat and let the chicken finish cooking in the hot broth; it is ready when the juices run clear and the thigh pulls away without resistance.
4. Remove the chicken, plunge it into an ice bath to chill quickly, drain well, and brush with sesame oil; the skin should be smooth and glossy.
5. Ladle out and strain some broth, then melt the chicken fat with minced garlic and ginger; stir in the rinsed rice until the grains smell nutty and turn slightly translucent.
6. Cover the rice with the seasoned broth, add the pandan, and cook covered until the liquid is fully absorbed; let rest off the heat until the grains fluff easily with a fork.
7. Blend the chilies, garlic, ginger, sugar, rice vinegar, lime juice, salt, and a splash of broth into a bright, vibrant, slightly pourable red sauce.
8. Make the ginger-scallion sauce by pouring hot oil over grated ginger, sliced scallions, salt, and white pepper; it should smell fresh, pungent, and toasty all at once.
9. Carve the chicken into uniform pieces and serve with the rice, sliced cucumber, fresh cilantro, dark soy sauce, chili sauce, ginger-scallion sauce, and a small bowl of hot broth.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

619.8 kcal

Protein

62.07 g

Carbohydrate

51.57 g

Fat

16.79 g

Fibre

2.28 g

Calcium

45.17 mg

Iron

2.43 mg

Magnesium

78.42 mg