Hainanese Chicken Rice

Many Singapore Chinese who originate from the island of Hainan on the southern coast of China entered the restaurant trade. Back in the days of the colonial rule, many were employed as cooks in British households where they learned about western, and especially British cuisine. Thus, oxtail and European-style chicken soups, as well as chicken and pork cutlets, have found their way into Hainanese cuisine - Culinaria Konemann.

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The most well-known Hainanese cuisine in Singapore would have to be the chicken rice, which is served in both the food centers as well as in top class restaurants.

It is not difficult to prepare Hainanese Chicken, which is essentially prepared by poaching the chicken. During our stay in the Happy Valley, we have prepared this dish on a number of occasions and each time, our guests have enjoyed this dish. Unlike Chinese who prefer the drumstick, thigh and wings, Americans prefer the white meat from the chicken breast.

Poaching the Chicken

Ingredients: 3 ½ lb (1.5 kg) oven-ready chicken, 2 slices of ginger (crushed), 3 garlic cloves (crushed), 3 tbs Chinese cooking wine, salt.
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Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry. Lay one slice of ginger and 1 clove of garlic in the chicken cavity’s and the remaining garlic/ginger in a large saucepan of water. Bring to the boil, add salt, and Chinese cooking wine. Place the chicken in the saucepan, ensuring that it is completely immersed. Do not cover the saucepan. Bring the water back to boil, reduce heat, and simmer for approximately 20 minutes. The meat should be delicate pink and still moist.

As soon as the chicken is cooked, lift it out of the broth and run under cold water to tighten the skin. When the chicken has cooled, rub it with sesame oil and soya sauce.

Loosen the meat from the bones and cut into bite-size pieces. To serve, arrange the chicken meat on a large plate over a bed of sliced cucumber, drizzle with sesame oil & soya sauce, and garnish with fresh vegetables and coriander leaves.

Serve with rice: To cook the rice, fry the chopped ginger and garlic. Then fry the washed and drained rice until it becomes translucent. Then add one and half times as much cooking liquid (chicken broth) as there is rice, add salt, and simmer gently until all the liquid has been absorbed.

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Chili sauce: 4 fresh red chili peppers and 3 garlic cloves (peeled, chopped), juice of 4 limes, grated ginger, chicken broth, and salt to taste.

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Source: Culinaria Konemann (1998) "Southeast Asian Specialties"