Recipe For Hainanese Chicken Rice

Hainanese chicken rice

Traditionally, the are two ways of cooking the chicken rice, one is by pouching the chicken while the other one is steaming. Here, i am pouching the chicken with two methods, half chicken and one whole chicken using the normal pot and the other one is using the Pressure Cooker.

(A) - For the chicken and broth
Serves : 2  ( 1/2 chicken ) - using the normal cooking pot
Ingredients :
- 1/2 chicken,  ( rub with salt to clean and rinse )
- 1 tsp salt
- some salt for cleaning the chicken
- 1 stalk of lemon grass
- 2 pcs of 1 1/2 inches of ginger, skinned and smash a little
- 4 big cloves of garlic, skinned and smash a little
- 1 stalk of leek ( use the lower white part, about 4 to 5 inches in length )
- 2 stalks of spring onion ( use the lower part, about 4 to 5 inches in length )
- some chopped spring onion for garnishing the chicken and the soup ( use the green part ), or if you prefer you may use few stalks of coriander leafs ( cilantro )
- 600ml water or enough water to cover 1 inch above the chicken

(B) For the rice :
- 3/4 tbsp of soften butter
- 1 1/2 cups of jasmine rice
- 4 to 5 panda leaves ( screwpine leaves, wash and tie knot )
- 1 medium size of shallot, sliced
- 2 slices of  about 2 inches ginger
- 1 stalk of spring onion ( use the lower part, about 4 to 5 inches in length )
- 2 tsp of  "Knorr No MSG Chicken Seasoning Powder" ( optional )
- some chicken broth from the recipe enough to cook to rice
- some slices of cucumber to go along ( optional )


(C) Sauce :
- 3/4 tbsp of Penang Ghee Hiang Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp of Lee Kum Kee Premium Light Soy Sauce
- some chopped spring onion, the green part for garnishing


Chili sauce : ( blend all untill become paste )
- 10 fresh big red chili
- 8 big cloves of garlic, skinned
- 1 inches of ginger
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp lime juice or vinegar
- 3 tbsp of chicken broth form the recipe
- pinch of salt

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Serves : 4 to 5 ( whole chicken ) - using Pressure Cooker 
 Ingredients :
** use all the ingredients same as (A), (B) and ( C), but adjust the quantities for the ingredients below :

- chicken : whole chicken
- 1 1/2 tsp salt ( for the broth )
- garlic : 6 big cloves of garlic, skinned ( for the broth )
- shallot : 2 medium size of shallot, sliced ( for the rice )
- butter : 1 3/4 tbsp of soften butter ( for the rice )
- rice : 2  1/2 cups of  jasmine rice
- 3 tsp of  "Knorr No MSG Chicken Seasoning Powder" ( for the rice ) - optional
- enough water to cover 1 inch above the chicken ( for the broth )

from ingredients (B)
Sauce :
- 1 1/2 tbsp of Penang Ghee Hiang Sesame Oil
- 2 tbsp of  Lee Kum Kee Premium Light Soy Sauce

Preparation :

  - cut off the hard part of the bottom and peel off the outer layer of the lemon grass, cut section of about 4 to 5 inches from the white bottom, smash a little at the bottom ( to use the bottom part ).

- slice the shallot.

- cut section 4 inches of the lower part of the spring onions, then for the green part, chop it to 0.5cm width.

 

- skin the garlic, smash a little. 

- skin the ginger, cut cubes and smash a little.

 - wash the pandan leaves and tie knot.

- cut section of the leek about 5 inches from the bottom ( to use the  bottom part ).

   - wash the chicken, then rub with salt then rinse, as for the whole chicken, rub the salt inside the chicken to clean as well, after cleaning put the chicken in the pot.

 (D) - pour in the water, add salt, ginger, leek, lower part of the spring onions, lemon grass and garlic, cover the pot.

 (E) - as for the whole chicken to be cooked in the pressure cooker, put in the salt and half of the ingredients (D) in the pot and the other half stuff them inside the chicken, then put the chicken on the Perforated tray and put in the pot, make sure the water is enough to cover 1 inch above the chicken, cover and lock in the pot. 

 

Perforated Tray

* The Perforated Tray comes in the Pressure Cooker.  If your brand does not include it, you can use a normal steam tray, just make sure the tray comes with the handle. The purpose of using the tray so that it will be easier to lift up the chicken later on.

Method : using normal cooking pot ( for the chicken and broth )

- prepare (D)

-  cook the chicken in the pot on high fire until boiling for 5mins, then turn to medium low fire to simmer it for 30mins.

- prepare a big pot of water, add some ice cube.

- once the chicken is done, carefully bring out and put it in the pot with ice cube, be careful to be gentle not to tear the skin of the chicken, leave it there for about 10mins, this purpose is to lock in the juice and to make the skin of the chicken smooth.

- after 10mins, drain the ice water, add sauce,  rub the soy sauce on the chicken then the sesame oil.

- cut the chicken into pieces, garnish with spring onion or cilantro.

For the rice :

- wash the rice as per normal

- melt the butter in the rice pot, saute all the ingredients except the pandan leaves, cucumber , "Knorr No MSG Chicken Seasoning Powder"  and rice.

- once you can smell the aroma, add the rice then "Knorr No MSG Chicken Seasoning Powder"  and stir.

- add pandan leaves and enough chicken broth to cook the rice. ( make sure you filter away any scum from the chicken broth before adding into the rice )

- once the rice is cooked, place on a plate to serve, place few slices of cucumber on the rice

For the soup ;

- filter away any scum.

- sprinkle some chopped spring onion or cilantro and serve with the rice.

filter away any sccum

chicken in ice water

Method : using Pressure Cooker ( ideally use the size of the pressure cooker 3L, cooking time may be varied due to the size of the cooker )

** ( adjust the amount for the ingredients accordingly for pressure cooker as mentioned above )

- prepare (E)

- cover the pot, cook on high fire until the indicator rises to the second orange color ring ( see pic above on the left ) then turn the fire to low, continue to cook for 10mins.

- after 10mins, turn off the fire, slowly release the steam bit by bit ( see pic above on the right ).

- carefully take out the chicken, be careful not to tear the skin of the chicken, put the chicken into a pot of water full of ice cubes, leave it there for 10 mins.

- after 10mins, drain the ice water, add sauce,  rub the soy sauce on the chicken then the sesame oil.- cut the chicken into pieces, garnish with spring onion or cilantro.
 - for the soup ( broth ), filter away any scum, sprinkle some chopped spring onion or cilantro and serve hot.
- as for the rice, if you are using the normal cooking pot or normal rice cooker, follow the instructions above, but if you are using the pressure cooker to cook the rice, after saute the ingredients cook them under medium fire until you can see the safety valve starting to release steam or the indicator rises to the 1st orange color ring, then lower the fire for another 4 to 5mins then turn off the fire and wait for the pressure to be released. ( Note : cooking time may varied due to different size of the cooker ).

Hainanese chicken rice

  Here you are, Hainanese chicken rice! Instead of one stone kills 2 birds you are killing 3 birds, hahaha! Yup! Because you  are cooking one main ingredient which is the chicken but at the same time you are having the soup and the rice as well! So enjoy your meal!!

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