Name: Chicken Rice
Yield: Serves 4–6
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: Water 2 tsp; Salt ¼ tsp or to taste; Sesame oil 1 Tbsp; Long-grain rice 600 g (1 lb 5ⅱ oz), washed until water runs clear and drained; Ginger 2 thick slices; Garlic 2 cloves, peeled and left whole; Chicken 1, large, about 1.4–1.6 kg (3 lb 1⅔ oz–3 lb 9 oz), cleaned; Water 2.5 litres (80 fl oz / 10 cups); Shallots 5, peeled and minced; Old ginger 35 g (1¼ oz), peeled and minced; Garlic 8 cloves, peeled and minced; Tomato slices; Coriander leaves (cilantro); Chopped spring onion (scallion); Sesame oil ½ tsp; Large red chillies 8; Salt to taste; Cucumber slices; Red bird’s eye chillies to taste; Thick black soy sauce; Young ginger 25 g (⅘ oz), peeled and chopped; Salt ½ tsp; Cooking oil 1 Tbsp; Garlic 4 cloves, peeled and chopped; Old ginger 100 g (3½ oz), peeled and chopped; Freshly-squeezed calamansi lime juice 1 Tbsp; Pandan leaves 2, washed and tied into a knot; Sugar to taste

Preparation info

Serves
4–6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Chinese Heritage Cooking

By Christopher Tan and Amy Van

Published 2018

About

Back on Hainan Island, a local breed of fowl called wen chang chicken is used for this dish. Hainanese cooks favour hens of a certain age: not so young that their flesh is bland, but not so old and tired from egg-laying that their meat is tough. Ideally, the meat should have a slight resilience to it and both meat and fat must be flavourful. Kampong chickens and capons both work well.