{"id":805,"date":"2016-10-20T13:00:10","date_gmt":"2016-10-20T05:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theburningkitchen.com\/?p=805"},"modified":"2018-10-22T12:29:49","modified_gmt":"2018-10-22T04:29:49","slug":"chicken-rice-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theburningkitchen.com\/chicken-rice-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Hainanese Chicken Rice"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Singapore<\/p>\n

STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE<\/span><\/h1>\n

For many of my\u00a0Thai friends, they’ll head straight for the\u00a0Boon Tong Kee<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Hainanese Chicken Rice stall when they visit. Even though they have ‘Khao Mun Kai’ (Thai version of Hainanese Chicken Rice),\u00a0they really do enjoy\u00a0the Singaporean version.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TRICK OF THE TRADE<\/span><\/h1>\n

Back when I stayed in Thailand, I’ve tried to cook the Singapore-style Hainanese chicken rice, but it turned out differently due to the different breed of chicken there. The chicken meat in Singapore is firmer, and more importantly, the skin\u00a0is smoother, which gives our version its\u00a0signature gelatinous\u00a0texture.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS DISH<\/span><\/h1>\n
    \n
  • It’s an iconic dish!<\/strong> Make it when you miss Singapore, and it’ll remind you of the country, or for some of us, home.<\/li>\n
  • The various sauces that go with the dish can be paired with other dishes<\/strong> as well.<\/li>\n
  • Hainanese chicken is healthy,<\/strong> even for kids! Without pouring the dipping sauce, the chicken is healthy because it is boiled.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

     <\/p>\n

    HOW TO MAKE SINGAPORE CHICKEN RICE?\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

    Wash the rice and\u00a0soak for 20 mins, drain, then dry for another 20 mins and set aside. Then peel the garlic and ginger. Grate the ginger and chop the garlic, then set aside.<\/p>\n

    \n

    \"chopping<\/p>\n

    Clean the chicken and cut off the fats (see tips). For the Spring Onions, wash and cut off the white\u00a0sections and set aside. Cut the green sections into small pieces and place in a large\u00a0bowl, and refrigerate.<\/p>\n

    Wash the pandan leaves and fold it up into 2 bundles.\u00a0Peel and cut 6 slices of ginger. then set aside.
    \n\"tying<\/p>\n

    Insert the 6 slices of ginger, the white section of the spring onion and 1 bundle of pandan leaves into the cavity of the chicken.
    \n\"inserting<\/p>\n

    Use a few tooth picks to seal up the cavity\u00a0to prevent the stuffing from falling out during\u00a0cooking.
    \n\"tying<\/p>\n

    Fill a tall pot with water (see tips) and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, hold the chicken by the neck and dunk the whole chicken in and out of the boiling water 3 times. On the final dunk, immerse the whole chicken into the water and cover the pot.\"dunking<\/p>\n

    Once the water boils, let the chicken simmer for another 10 minutes, then turn off the heat but do NOT open the cover. Let the chicken continue to stew in the hot water for another 35 minutes.<\/p>\n

    Meanwhile, prepare a large basin of ice water. Once the chicken is cooked, use a pair of chopsticks to lift it out of the pot from under the wings, then plunge it into the ice water for about 20 mins.\"lifting<\/p>\n

    Remove the chicken and transfer onto a plate. Rub the whole chicken with 2 TBsp\u00a0sesame oil. Measure out 3 cups of the chicken stock for cooking the rice, then freeze up the rest for another day.
    \n\"drizzling<\/p>\n

    While the chicken is cooking, add oil to a wok and fry the chicken fats to extract the chicken oil. Remove and discard the crispy chicken fats once they turn golden brown.
    \n\"chicken<\/p>\n

    Add in the grated ginger and chopped garlic prepared earlier and fry till aromatic. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Once aromatic, immediately add\u00a0in the washed and drained rice and the 1 1\/2 tsp of salt, then mix well.
    \n\"stir\"stir<\/p>\n

    Transfer the rice mixture into the rice cooker. Pour in the 3 cups of chicken stock. Place the second bundle of pandan leaves on top of the rice and cook for extra fragrance. Once the rice is cooked, remove the pandan leaves and loosen the rice.<\/p>\n

    When the chicken is done, remove the stuffing from the chicken, chop into pieces and arrange on a serving plate. Pour the dipping sauce over the chicken (optional). Garnish with parsley and sliced cucumber and serve with the chicken rice, dark soy sauce, chilli sauce and spring onion oil.\"chicken<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

     <\/p>\n

    COOKING TIPS<\/span><\/h1>\n
      \n
    1. For easier cooking and smoother texture<\/strong>, The Rice needs to be soaked for a while before cooking.<\/li>\n
    2. To remove the bitterness of cucumbers<\/strong>, cut off one end and use the tip to rub the cut end of the cucumber in a circular motion until you see a milky substance. Repeat on the other side and wash.
      \n\"rubbing<\/li>\n
    3. Prepare the chilli sauce a day before<\/strong> to save time<\/li>\n
    4. Use a slim and tall pot<\/strong> so the the whole chicken can be immersed into water without using too much water. This way the stock will be sweeter and tastier. The level of water in the pot should be about 1″ above the chicken.<\/li>\n
    5. Fold the chicken wings backwards<\/strong> into a ‘arm-lock’ before cooking. These will later act as handles that you can use to remove the chicken from the pot with a pair of chopsticks, without breaking the skin of the chicken
      \n\n\t\t