Hainanese
Chicken for 2
This recipe is adapted
from Ottolenghi’s Hainanese chicken. When I say ‘adapted’ I mean I have taken
out/replaced a few of the more annoying ingredients and adapted the quantities
and timings for a half chicken. I also don’t serve it with a broth as
Ottolenghi does but put the broth aside to form part of my third chicken meal,
which I will post after I have made it… I have also added an inauthentic side of pan fried gem lettuce because I think it works.
Hainanese chicken is based on a Southern Chinese dish but was
adopted and popularised by the Chinese communities in Malaysia and Singapore.
On my travels through Central and South East Asia I thought I only had one day
Kuala Lumpur and made it my mission to tick off all twenty food specialities
listed in a free tourist booklet I picked up in my hotel. After a mad rush
through several markets, cafés, and shopping malls (no I am not American, that is what
they are called in KL) which actually had pretty great and locally popular food
halls, I managed to succeed in my mission.
I then got back to find
out that I had mistaken the date of our next flight so I had stuffed myself
horribly full and stayed in a slightly expensive and far out airport hotel for
no good reason. Even after all that, this dish was never featured! I therefore
cannot comment on the authenticity of Ottolenghi’s recipe, but I can vouch for
the fact that it is satisfyingly tasty.
Ingredients
50g ginger, peeled and
thinly sliced (net weight), plus an extra 15g, finely chopped, for the
rice
50g spring onion, sliced into 2cm pieces, plus 1 more whole spring onion for garnish
1/2 free-range chicken weighing about 0.7kg after you have sliced it through the middle
50g spring onion, sliced into 2cm pieces, plus 1 more whole spring onion for garnish
1/2 free-range chicken weighing about 0.7kg after you have sliced it through the middle
1/3 large cucumber, peeled
50ml soy sauce
1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
15g unsalted butter
2 small cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
210g jasmine rice
Salt
5g picked coriander leaves
50ml soy sauce
1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
15g unsalted butter
2 small cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
210g jasmine rice
Salt
5g picked coriander leaves
For the chilli sauce
About 5 mild to medium-heat red chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped (80g net weight)
10g ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp groundnut oil/olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice
¼ tsp soy sauce
About 5 mild to medium-heat red chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped (80g net weight)
10g ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp groundnut oil/olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice
¼ tsp soy sauce
Side dish
1 baby Gem lettuce
For the chicken
Slice the chicken in half. See video of how to do it here.
Put one half of the chicken away in the fridge for another day.
Fill a large pot with cold water and add the sliced ginger and spring onion.
Bring to a boil and put in the half chicken and the back bone. Make sure the chicken is completely submerged in the water. Put a lid on the pot and bring back to a rapid boil.
Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat and leave to one side, covered, for 40-50 minutes.
Slice the chicken in half. See video of how to do it here.
Put one half of the chicken away in the fridge for another day.
Fill a large pot with cold water and add the sliced ginger and spring onion.
Bring to a boil and put in the half chicken and the back bone. Make sure the chicken is completely submerged in the water. Put a lid on the pot and bring back to a rapid boil.
Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat and leave to one side, covered, for 40-50 minutes.
Once the time's up, check the half chicken is cooked
by inserting a small, sharp knife into the thickest part of the thigh by the
bone – the juices should run clear.
Lift the chicken from the stock and slice off the breast, skin included, in one piece. Put the breast in a bowl with a little stock to keep it moist.
Return the remaining chicken to the stock pot, bring back to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for five minutes more.
Remove the pot from the heat and set aside to cool down a little. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE STOCK!
Lift the chicken from the stock and slice off the breast, skin included, in one piece. Put the breast in a bowl with a little stock to keep it moist.
Return the remaining chicken to the stock pot, bring back to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for five minutes more.
Remove the pot from the heat and set aside to cool down a little. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE STOCK!
The chilli sauce and the soy dressing
Do this while the chicken is cooking.
Put all the ingredients in a small food processor bowl, adding ¼ teaspoon of salt, and work for a couple of minutes until you have a uniform sauce.
In a separate bowl whisk together the two soy sauces and the sesame oil. Put aside.
Do this while the chicken is cooking.
Put all the ingredients in a small food processor bowl, adding ¼ teaspoon of salt, and work for a couple of minutes until you have a uniform sauce.
In a separate bowl whisk together the two soy sauces and the sesame oil. Put aside.
Cucumber, raw spring
onion garnish and fried spring onion garnish
Top and tail the
cucumber, cut it in two lengthways, then slice each half on an angle into
0.5cm-thick slices.
Slice the whole spring onion on a sharp angle into long, thin slices and put half of these in a bowl in the fridge with some ice water.
Slice the whole spring onion on a sharp angle into long, thin slices and put half of these in a bowl in the fridge with some ice water.
For the other half of
the chopped spring onion, chop up into finer pieces – about 1cm long. Heat up
some oil (1cm high) in a small pan on a medium heat.
Once hot, add the shallots and brown them. When turning golden quickly strain over a sieve into a glass container (you can throw the oil away once cool but it is dangerously hot for a while).
Once hot, add the shallots and brown them. When turning golden quickly strain over a sieve into a glass container (you can throw the oil away once cool but it is dangerously hot for a while).
For the rice
Start preparing the rice about 30 minutes before serving.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the 15g of chopped ginger and the garlic, and sauté on medium heat for three minutes, until light golden.
Add the rice and a teaspoon of salt, and sauté, stirring, for four minutes; add a bit of stock if it starts sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Start preparing the rice about 30 minutes before serving.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the 15g of chopped ginger and the garlic, and sauté on medium heat for three minutes, until light golden.
Add the rice and a teaspoon of salt, and sauté, stirring, for four minutes; add a bit of stock if it starts sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Take 750ml of the
chicken stock, including any fat that has collected on the surface, and add to
the rice pot.
Bring to a rapid boil, cover with a tight lid, reduce the heat to the absolute minimum.
Leave to cook for 20 minutes, then remove from the heat but keep covered.
Bring to a rapid boil, cover with a tight lid, reduce the heat to the absolute minimum.
Leave to cook for 20 minutes, then remove from the heat but keep covered.
For the Gem lettuce
Separate out outer leaves and keep the heart for salad. Heat up a teaspoon of olive oil and fry for 2-3 minutes, until the leaves begin to wilt. Season to taste.
To serve
When you are ready to serve, return the chicken breast to the hot stock to heat it up a little; it needs to be just warm.
Meanwhile, chop the rest of the chicken – thighs, drumsticks and wings – into pieces of whatever size you prefer.
Place these pieces on a large platter and top with the breasts, each cut neatly into three pieces widthways with the skin left on if you want to be authentic and off if you, like me, don’t like the rubbery texture of boiled chicken skin.
You want to see the breast meat, not the messy, bony pieces of chicken underneath.
When you are ready to serve, return the chicken breast to the hot stock to heat it up a little; it needs to be just warm.
Meanwhile, chop the rest of the chicken – thighs, drumsticks and wings – into pieces of whatever size you prefer.
Place these pieces on a large platter and top with the breasts, each cut neatly into three pieces widthways with the skin left on if you want to be authentic and off if you, like me, don’t like the rubbery texture of boiled chicken skin.
You want to see the breast meat, not the messy, bony pieces of chicken underneath.
Arrange a few cucumber slices alongside the
chicken and place the rest on a small plate to serve separately.
Spoon some of the soy and sesame sauce over the chicken and put the rest in a small bowl. Put the chilli sauce in a similar bowl. Put some rice in a medium-size, deep bowl and press down to mould it.
Turn over briskly on to the platter and sprinkle with fried spring onions. Finally, drain and dry the spring onion slices from the fridge, sprinkle over the chicken and serve.
Spoon some of the soy and sesame sauce over the chicken and put the rest in a small bowl. Put the chilli sauce in a similar bowl. Put some rice in a medium-size, deep bowl and press down to mould it.
Turn over briskly on to the platter and sprinkle with fried spring onions. Finally, drain and dry the spring onion slices from the fridge, sprinkle over the chicken and serve.
For the stock – to do after you have eaten
Return all your chicken bones and the carcass to the stock and simmer for a couple of hours, checking every now and again to make sure it doesn’t boil dry.
Cool over night or for another two hours. Strain and refrigerate in the morning. This will be used in the next day’s meal.
Return all your chicken bones and the carcass to the stock and simmer for a couple of hours, checking every now and again to make sure it doesn’t boil dry.
Cool over night or for another two hours. Strain and refrigerate in the morning. This will be used in the next day’s meal.
1 chicken 3 meals for 2 hungry people, flo and elle,
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