Recipe #10 - My memorable Hainanese Chicken Rice

Sometimes I have this irresistible craving for Asian soul food.

Back at the time when I was an intern in this human rights NGO in Tokyo, my amazing supervisors often took me to this lovely Thai food restaurant nearby where I have many great memories.

And this is where I had my very first Hainanese chicken rice which has been my all-time utmost favourite.
Ever since, I'm deeply in love with this delicious yet simple meal!

This Hainanese chicken rice is a pretty-accurate reproduction of that delightful plate I had in Japan - neither in Thailand or Singapore though cooked by chefs originally from Thailand - and this recipe is based on my tongue and the memory :D

+ a pinch of my laziness to make it super-duper easy to cook!

〜 Hainanese Chicken Rice for Two 

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Ingredients

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2 bone-in chicken thighs (or breasts)

1 tablespoon of Mirin (can be omitted)

2 pinches of salt

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon of ginger, grated
1 teaspoon of garlic, grated (only if you like garlic like myself :))

125g of long-grain rice

165ml of water

For ginger sauce:

2 tablespoons of gluten-free soy sauce

1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon of cooking water from the pot, or just water

1/2 tablespoon of ginger, grated

1/6 teaspoon of garlic, grated

1/2 teaspoon of white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar

Cucumbers, thinly sliced

Tomato, sliced

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Directions

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First of all, debone chicken thighs and rub a pinch of salt + Mirin (if you have it) into each of the chicken thighs :)
Don't throw away these bones here yet :)
I know it's easier to get boneless and it's messy to debone, but I believe these bones can do a great job for this dish :)

In a pod, fry minced garlic in heated sesame oil :)

Add unwashed rice and stir until they become transparent :)

Pour in water (rice×1.3), grated ginger (and garlic), chicken thighs and bones

With high-heat, bring it to boil until you see steam coming from the pod (for around 5 minutes) :)

And bring down to low-heat for 10 minutes.

Then, stop the heat and leave it with the lid on for another 10 minutes.


While the chicken rice is cooking, let's make the sauce!
Just mix all the ingredients listed above and adjust to your taste by adding some more :)

Dooone! :)

Chop the chicken thighs into strips :)
You can take off the skins if you don't fancy them :)

Here's the lovely rice cooked in delicious juice of chicken + ginger + garlic :)







This meal is cooked with juicy chicken so some fresh vegetables would make a great garnish!
And don't forget to pour some delicious ginger sauce as well :)
For coriander lovers, this would go perfectly with corianders though I didn't use as we are not that big fans of it :D

Bon appetit!

Cheers!

xxxxx