Hainan chicken rice
Instructions:
- A meal in a dish, this homely combination of chicken, rice cooked in chicken stock and a couple of sprightly dipping sauces has become a top favourite in many Asian countries. It is particularly popular with travellers seeking sustenance that will not tax their digestive systems. Chicken rice makes the perfect family meal, offering rice, chicken and a soup based on the chicken stock. The recipe looks long and involved, but the preparation is truly simple.
- 1×1.5 kg (3 lb) roasting chicken;
- salt;
- 3 spring onions, chopped;
- 3 sprigs celery leaves;
- 20 whole black peppercorns;
- 3 sprigs coriander;
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil;
- ¼ small Chinese cabbage, finely shredded;
- light soy sauce;
- chopped fresh coriander or spring onions (extra).
- Rice
- 500 g (1 lb) long-grain rice;
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil;
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil;
- 1 tablespoon sliced garlic;
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger;
- 1 onion, finely sliced;
- 2 teaspoons salt.
- Dipping Sauces
- 1 tablespoon sliced red chilli;
- 4 tablespoons dark soy sauce;
- 1 tablespoon ground fresh chilli;
- 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger.
- Cut off and discard the tail of the chicken with the two fat glands on either side. Also discard any obvious fat near the cavity. Rinse the bird well and dry with paper towels, then rub well with salt inside and out.
- In a pan just large enough to hold the chicken, bring 2 litres (4 pints/8 cups) water to the boil with the spring onions, celery leaves, peppercorns, coriander and 2 teaspoons salt. When the water boils, lower the chicken gently into the pan, breast downwards. Let the water return to the boil and reduce the heat so it just simmers. Cover the pan tightly and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and leave for 45 minutes, still tightly covered, for the chicken to finish cooking in the stored heat.
- While the chicken is cooking, wash the rice and leave it to drain in a colander. Heat the sesame and peanut oils in a heavy saucepan and on medium heat fry the garlic, ginger and onion, stirring until they are golden. Remove 1 tablespoon of this cooked oil and reserve for one of the dipping sauces. Add the rice to the pan and fry, stirring, until the grains are coated with oil.
- Lift out and drain the chicken. Strain and reserve the stock for cooking the rice and for the soup. Rub the chicken all over with sesame oil. Cover with foil and keep warm.
- Add 1 litre (2 pints/4 cups) strained chicken stock to the rice and bring to the boil. Stir in the salt, turn the heat to very low, cover the pan tightly and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. Remove from the heat and leave, covered, for a further 10 minutes.
- For one dipping sauce combine the sliced chilli and dark soy sauce. For the second dipping sauce, stir together the crushed chilli, ginger and reserved tablespoon of cooked oil.
- To make the soup, bring the remaining strained stock to the boil. Add the Chinese cabbage and light soy sauce to taste. Sprinkle chopped fresh coriander or spring onions over.
- To serve, carve the chicken into joints or cut in half lengthways and chop across each half into bite-sized pieces. Serve the soup for ladling over the rice if desired, or sipping between mouthfuls. Serve the sauces in individual dishes.