It started with a little conversation with my Mom about how to make it. I had some dark sweet soy at home and a student was kind enough to give me jar of Hainanese chicken rice chili. After having tried Wee Nam Kee, then Hainanese Chicken Rice at the Mall of Indonesia in Kelapa Gading in Jakarta, and then at Changi restaurant on Vito Cruz, it's about time so here goes.
1/2 chicken
1 liter of water
large onion
bunch of onion leeks
2 thumb size pcs of ginger
4 cloves garlic
salt
Pinch of turmeric powder
sesame oil for the garlic ginger oil
dark sweet soy or plain soy
sambal or chopped long chili mixed with some water and salt, if none, chili oil will do
2 cups of your favorite medium grain rice
big bowl of iced water.
Trim the back bone and neck, set aside the skin, and put the carcass in a large stock pot. Add half the large onion and smash one thumb size piece of ginger then a liter of water into the pot. Start the flame and as it starts to boil set to low flame and throw in a tbsp of salt. There should be enough stock to completely submerge the chicken
This is what you will cook the chicken in for at least 20 minutes. Trim the excess fats and skin from your chicken carcass, you will need this for the rice later. You should have about a handful of skin and fats from the ass, the back and neck, excess skin from the edge of the breast.Immerse the chicken gently then set the flame to its lowest. after 20 mins, remove the chicken and allow to cool and drip dry.
Chop the garlic, onions and ginger to a very fine dice. I smashed the garlic and ginger with my cleaver before proceeding to mince fine. The remaining half onion should be fine.
Take your onion leeks and slice the root ends off then the remaining white to light green parts cut into 1 inch lengths. The dark green parts chop fine you will need this for the ginger garlic oil later.
In a separate rice pot, put the fat and skin over a low flame and let the simmer and melt into chicken chicharon, you can eat this with your beer. As this melts, slowly place your chicken into the stockpot. let it poach uncovered.
after about 10 minutes remove the melted skins and sautee the onion, and half the ginger and garlic. As it gets fragrant add your rice and make sure all the grains come into contact with the oil. Add your pinch of turmeric and mix it in fully. set flame to low and ladle 4 cups of stock into the rice pot a cup at a time. Turn heat on high and when the rice boils, throw in your inch long cuts of onion leeks and set flame to the lowest possible setting and cover. Don't touch it for 15 minutes, dont even look at it.
You can start cleaning up, and after about 10 minutes, your chicken should be done. Carefully take the chicken out so as not to tear the skin and submerge in the bowl of previously prepared ice cold water.
The rice should be done now after 15 minutes of cooking and will be ready to serve 5 minutes after you shut the flame off. Meantime prepare your cucumber, peel, cut in half lengthwise and slice thin and arrange layered on a serving plate. Prepare 3 small bowls for your dips. Into one place a tablespoonful of sambal, into another a teaspoon of sweet dark soy and a teaspoon of plain dark soy. Take a fresh pan over a high heat and put 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Place the remainder of the garlic and ginger and half a tsp of salt. As it gets fragrant add the chopped onion leeks and immediately remove from the fire and into a bowl. To this add half a tsp of
sesame oil.
Ready to serve! Take your chicken and with your hands separate the bone from the breast, then slice the breasts gently so you have nice little coins of white meat, the leg and thigh should be cut and sliced for easy cutting and eating later.
Layer them on the plate full of cucumber and paint some soy over them with a paint brush.
Winner!!! syempre Tiger Beer!
