HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE

Came across this recipe in my this month's selected cookbook for Cookbook Countdown Event.  I am not sure if this is an authentic Hainanese Chicken Rice recipe.  What tempted me to try out is that, the post has 4 separate recipes [chicken rice, steamed chicken, vegetable pickle and chilli dipping sauce].

So this gonna be a long, long post that I am sharing here.  
Recipe adapted from this month's selected cookbook for Cookbook Countdown Event#7- 'Home Cooking June 2002 Issue'. 

HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE

Ingredients

[serves 2-3]

2 cups rice - washed and drained

2 pips garlic - bruised

25 gm ginger - bruised

25 gm butter

salt and pepper to taste

enough water or chicken stock to cook rice

1. Heat butter in a pan or wok, fry garlic and ginger until fragrant before adding in the drained rice to fry for about 3 minutes.  Season and cook in a rice cooker with about 1 3/4 cups water or stock.

Notes: I did not use frying method, instead I combined all the ingredients then steamed the rice in the steamer.  

The rice is aromatic eventhough without frying.  I believe it would be better if the ingredients are prepared as per Step 1.

HAINANESE STEAMED CHICKEN

Ingredients

3 chicken whole legs [with skin] - washed and pat dry

1 tbsp each of grated or blended ginger, garlic and shallots

salt and pepper to taste

Dash of sesame oil

Garnishing - some chopped coriander leaves

1. Rub the chicken with all the grated ingredients, salt, pepper and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Steam for 20 minutes or poached till cooked.  Serve with a dash of sesame oil and garnish with coriander leaves.

Notes: The steamed chicken is tender, juicy and sweetness with the fragrance of the spices [ginger/garlic/shallots] and sesame oil.

 

 

CHILLI DIPPING SAUCE

Ingredients

5 fresh red chillies - roughly cut

4 pips garlic - skinned

20 gm fresh ginger

Seasoning

Juice of 4 small limes

2 tbsp white vinegar

salt and sugar to taste

 

1. Blend all spices together then add in the rest of the seasoning ingredients to taste.
2. Serve with chicken rice.

Notes: This dipping sauce is garlicky, ginger and spicy.  Tastes sourish and goes well with the steamed chicken and rice.

VEGETABLE PICKLE

Ingredients

4 dried mushrooms - soaked and cut strips

200 gm cabbage - cut shreds

1 red carrot - peeled and cut shreds

200 gm turnip [sengkuang] - cut shreds

1 large onion - sliced

some fresh coriander leaves 

1 red chilli - cut strips

100 ml white vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

5 tbsp sugar

1. Prepare the above vegetables.  Blanch the carrots and mushrooms.  Drain in colander and leave it to cool.
2. Combine vinegar with salt and sugar then mix in all the ingredients.
3. Leave to pickle for one day before serving chilled or at room temperature.

Notes: I love this pickle very much.  It is refreshing, the vegetables are tasty and very crunchy.  Definitely something extraordinary to go with Chicken Rice.  This is a nice pickle to go with any grilled or fried meats.

I'm sharing this post with Cookbook Countdown Event #7 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray