Hainanese Chicken Rice

 

I wrote a post on Hainanese chicken rice sometime last year, though without the detailed recipe. Before I go on, let me just say that this recipe was provided courtesy of Mr G. If there's one thing he loves to cook and can cook well, it's chicken rice. The only part I play in the whole cooking process is preparing the chilli sauce and supervising the food styling. I'm only too happy to let him hold the reins on this one as he has cooked this umpteen times for the last few years, and has become quite an expert at it.

 

This style of chicken rice is based on what we used to enjoy back in Singapore, where the chicken rice is served with a ginger chilli sauce and a thick black sauce to drizzle over the rice. If there's one Singapore street food that is better than Malaysia, it's definitely chicken rice. I think the difference lies in the texture and fragrance of the rice and the silky smooth and tender pieces of chicken. I should also mention that it is bursting with "umami" flavours, but that depends on your tolerance level for msg. I did not specifically include msg in this recipe, although I did use chicken stock powder (for extra flavour!).

 

The recipe looks really long, but I've managed to edit Mr G's version to be more reader-friendly and less "intimidating", I hope! For my relatives and friends who have been asking how to make Hainanese chicken rice, here you go!

Hainanese Chicken Rice (Singapore style)
(mostly by Mr G)

Ingredients

Chicken:

1.6kg (about 4 lbs) whole fresh organic or chemical-free chicken, removed from fridge 40 minutes before cooking
Salt
8 slices ginger
3 stalks scallions (spring onions)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp sesame oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled
8 cups reduced-salt chicken stock to 12 cups water

Sesame-soy rub:
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp superior light soy sauce

Chicken sauce (combine in a bowl):
1 tsp chicken oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
4 tbsp light soy sauce
1/3 cup warm poaching liquid/stock

Ice bath with water to cover the chicken in another container after cooking
1 cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced on the diagonal
2 scallions/spring onions, chopped/sliced for garnish
Coriander leaves, for garnish

Method

1. Prepare the chicken by removing the fat around cavity. Reserve the fat for later.

2. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Rub a generous amount of salt all over the skin. Stuff the chicken cavity with 4 slices of ginger and all the scallions.

3. Tie a loop of string across the 2 legs at the ends of the drumsticks or get a meat hook that you can slip into the cavity of the chicken, as you will need this to dunk the chicken in the poaching liquid (make sure the string or meat hook is secure and can support the weight of the chicken).

4. In a 10 litre stockpot on medium heat, add the vegetable oil and sesame oil and fry the garlic and remaining 4 slices of ginger until fragrant. Add the stock and water, cover the pot, and bring it to the boil on high heat.

5. Once boiling, remove the lid from the pot. Lower the chicken into the boiling stock and lift it up again. Repeat this step twice. This helps the chicken skin achieve a smooth texture. Finally, gently drop the chicken into the stock and let it cook using the 20-20-20 rule as follows:

In the first 20 minutes, let the chicken cook in the simmering stock. Initially, the stock will stop boiling for some time due to the temperature change. Leave the heat on medium and let the liquid come to a boil again.  Then, immediately reduce heat to a gentle simmer.

In the next 20 minutes, turn the heat off, leaving the chicken to continue cooking in the pot, covered. Do not exceed this time. In the meantime, prepare the ice bath by filling a large bowl (that will fit the chicken in) with plenty of ice and water.

The last step is to remove the chicken from the pot, emptying the excess liquid from the cavity of the chicken (be very careful as the hot liquid may spill or splash. Then, place the chicken in the ice bath, fully submerged. Leave the chicken to sit for 20 minutes (and no longer).

(Make sure you follow the 20-20-20 timing, especially the last 20 minutes, as it will affect the texture of the chicken)

6. After the chicken has chilled in the ice bath for 20 minutes, remove and then rub the chicken all over with the sesame soy rub.  Use a cleaver or large knife to chop up the chicken into pieces. Debone the chicken if desired.

7. On a large serving plate, arrange the sliced cucumbers, and place the chicken pieces on top. When ready to serve, drizzle the chicken sauce over the chicken. Serve with chicken rice, chilli sauce, black drizzling sauce and a steaming hot bowl of soup.

Rice:

4 cups jasmine rice, rinsed and drained
3 eschalots
5 cloves garlic
10 slices ginger
2 pandanus leaves, knotted
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder

Chicken fat, reserved from earlier
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. Blend eschalot and garlic into a fine paste and set aside.

2. In a pan on low heat, heat sesame oil and vegetable oil. Add chicken fat and fry slowly to extract the oil. Remove the pieces of fat, leaving the oil in the pan.

3. Add ginger and fry for a minute. Remove 2 tablespoons of the oil and place in a small bowl. Reserve this for later when making black drizzling sauce and chilli sauce.

4. With the remaining oil in the pan, add eschalot and garlic paste, and fry for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the rice, salt and chicken stock powder and fry for a minute until well mixed. Place the rice mixture in the rice cooker and add pandan leaves. Pour the poaching liquid/stock over the rice until it reaches slightly above the 4-cup mark. Start the rice cooker according to manufacturer's instructions. Once cooked, give the rice a stir to fluff up the rice before serving.

Condiments:

Chilli sauce:

1 tbsp chicken oil
1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tbsp chinese white rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
4 tbsps warm poaching liquid/stock
1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
Salt to taste

Blend together finely:
8-10 long chillies (mix with bird's eye chillies if desired)
4 cloves garlic
2 inch ginger, peeled and sliced

Method

Add everything to the blended ingredients, and blend again until well mixed. Add salt to taste, and adjust the amount of sugar and vinegar used if necessary. The chilli sauce should take on an orangey colour.

Black drizzling sauce:

1 tsp chicken oil
2 tbsp Cheong Chan thick caramel
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tbsp warm poaching liquid/stock
1/2 tsp light soy sauce

Method

In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm stock. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Serve as a drizzling sauce over the chicken rice.

Soup:

Remove all the bones and scum  from the poaching stock. Add salt and pepper to taste if necessary, and add more water if it's too concentrated. I like to add some sliced cabbage for sweetness. Ladle into individual soup bowls and garnish with chopped scallions before serving.

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Char Kuay Teow, two-ways

 

Char Kuay Teow with sweet soy



If you know and love Malaysian food, then Char Kuay Teow needs no introduction. In terms of popularity, I would think that Laksa ranks number one, followed by Hainanese chicken rice, and then Char Kuay Teow. These three dishes are commonly found in most menus of restaurants serving Malaysian-style food in Sydney, but more often than not, the authenticity of the Char Kuay Teow is questionable. Char Kuay Teow (CKT) literally means fried rice noodles, but a plate of greasy fried rice noodles with black soy sauce does not qualify as CKT. I find that the CKT sold here usually omits the eggs, which is a must in every CKT. It coats the rice noodles and gives it flavour and texture. Cockles are another must-have in CKT, but I have omitted them in my dish as I was unable to find any at the shops here.

I made two versions of CKT. One is the savoury Penang-style, and the other is the sweet version, typical of that found in Singapore. The latter uses kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) and is relatively more moist, whilst the Penang-style is drier. I personally prefer the sweet version. My recipe below explains how you can easily make both.

 

Savoury Penang-style Char Kuay Teow

Char Kuay Teow

(1 serving)

 

Ingredients

 

3 tbsp lard (or substitute with vegetable oil)*

6 fresh prawns, peeled

1/2 Chinese sausage (lup cheong), thinly sliced on the diagonal

8 slices fried fishcake

1/2 tbsp chopped garlic

250g (1/2 lb) fresh rice noodles, at room temperature (separate the noodles to prevent clumping together)

1 tbsp chilli paste**

2 eggs

1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

1 1/2 cups beansprouts

1/2 cup garlic chives, cut into 2 inch lengths

 

Sauce:

1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp thick caramel (Cheong Chan brand)

2 tbsp ABC kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) - omit if Penang-style char kuay teow is preferred***

2 tbsp water

 

Method

 

1. In a large non-stick wok, heat up 1 tbsp lard over high heat and fry the prawns, Chinese sausage and fishcake slices. When the prawns are almost cooked, push  the ingredients aside and add 1 tbsp lard in the centre of the wok. Add garlic and fry briefly. Stir and mix well with the other ingredients. (It is important to keep stirring everything with the spatula in quick motion so that everything cooks evenly. Fry only one batch at a time)

 

2. Toss in the noodles and drizzle the sauce around the side of the wok. Mix in with the noodles and stir-fry quickly, moving the spatula back and forth until noodles are well coated. Do not overcook. Stir in the chilli paste.

3. Turn the heat down to medium. Push the noodles to the side and add 1 tbsp lard. Crack the 2 eggs into the centre of the wok and give it a quick scramble. Fold the noodles over the eggs and mix through again quickly and evenly before the eggs start to set. It should form sort of a slurry eggy coating over the noodles. If the noodles start to look a little dry at this point, drizzle 2-3 tablespoons water around the side of the wok and mix through quickly. Add salt to taste.

 

4. Toss in the beansprouts and garlic chives and mix through quickly for 20 seconds. The noodles should be fairly moist, and if not, add a few drops of water (or extra lard if desired). Transfer to a plate immediately and serve hot.

 

Note:

* To make lard, you can buy pork fat from the butcher and dice them into tiny cubes. For 2 servings, use 4 tbsp pork fat and fry in 3 tbsp vegetable oil on medium-high heat slowly until the fat turns brown and crisp. You can use the crispy lard to garnish the char kuay teow before serving.

 

** Chilli paste: I used dried chillies that have been soaked in water and blended finely, then fried in oil with some chopped garlic, seasoned with salt and sugar. You can substitute with your favourite brand of chilli paste if preferred. 

*** Penang-style char kuay teow is more savoury than sweet, and also drier. Adjust the quantity of kecap manis used to your preference.

 

 












 

 

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