Hainanese chicken rice

Cook it at home: Hainanese chicken rice

Poach the chicken at a bare simmer, then plunge it into ice water so the skin turns firm and the meat silky. The rice cooks in the poaching broth with rendered chicken fat, garlic and pandan.

Pans and tools

• Large pot
• Large bowl of ice water
• Saucepan with lid for rice
• Blender
• Cleaver or large knife

You’ll need

• 1 whole chicken (about 3 1/2 lb / 1.6 kg), excess fat pulled off and kept
• 2 tbsp kosher salt, for rubbing
• 1 thumb ginger, sliced, 4 scallions, 4 garlic cloves
• For the rice: 2 cups (400 g) jasmine rice, rinsed and drained well
• 4 garlic cloves and 1 tbsp ginger, minced; 2 pandan leaves knotted; 1 tsp salt
• For the chili sauce: 6 red chilies, 4 garlic cloves, 1-inch piece ginger, 3 tbsp lime juice, 3 tbsp chicken broth, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt
• For the ginger sauce: 3 tbsp finely grated ginger, 2 scallions minced, 1/2 tsp salt, 3 tbsp hot neutral oil
• Dark sweet soy sauce, to drizzle
• To serve: cucumber slices, cilantro, sesame oil, light soy sauce

Steps

1. Rub the chicken all over with the salt to scrub and season it, then rinse. Stuff the cavity with ginger, scallions and garlic.
2. Put the chicken in a pot just large enough, cover with cold water by 1 inch, and bring to a boil. Immediately lower to the barest simmer (small bubbles only) and cook 35 to 40 minutes, until the thigh reads 165F (74C).
3. Lift the chicken out and plunge it into a large bowl of ice water for 10 minutes. Rub the skin with a little sesame oil. Keep the broth.
4. Meanwhile, render the reserved chicken fat in a pot over medium-low heat until you have 3 tbsp of liquid fat (add oil if short). Discard the crisp bits. Fry the garlic and ginger in the fat 1 minute, then add the rice and stir 2 minutes until every grain is coated.
5. Add 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) of the hot chicken broth, the salt and pandan. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook on low 15 minutes. Rest, covered, 10 minutes.
6. Blend the chili sauce ingredients until smooth. For the ginger sauce, mix ginger, scallions and salt in a heatproof bowl and pour over the smoking-hot oil.
7. Chop the chicken into pieces through the bone with a cleaver (or carve), and arrange on cucumber slices. Drizzle with a little light soy and sesame oil and scatter cilantro.
8. Serve with the rice, a bowl of the hot broth with scallions, and the chili, ginger and dark soy sauces.

Contains: Soy, sesame.