Uncle chris Hainan Chicken recipe
1. Ingredients required
1.1) 1 large / medium size chicken (or 2 twin pack fresh chicken)
1.2) 2 lumps (table-spoon size) of fresh ginger (but if 2 twin pack chicken used, then 2 smaller size lumps of ginger for each chicken)
1.3) 2 table-spoonful of cooking salt
1.4) About 6 pieces of medium size garlic
1.5) 2 fresh eggs
1.6) 1/2 package of frozen mixed vegetables (if you wish, add some dry Chinese mushroom) and chopped-up fresh prawns (1/4 kg)
1.7) 1 large can of cream sweet corn
1.8) Some shallots
1.9) Just in case, you may want to have stronger stock for chicken soup, just add extra some chicken bones (as this will also compensate for lack of chicken fat)
1.10) Rice for cooking
1.11) Quantity of cucumbers and tomatoes (and Chinese parsley?)
1.12) 1 packet of soft tofu
2. Preparations
2.1) Pour quantity of salt (say, 1/2 table-spoonful) into the ibelly of the chicken and clean the inside by rubbing the salt against the internal areas of the chicken. Also, sprinkle some salt all over the outside of the chicken and rub the salt against the outer layer of the skin.
2.2) Rinse the chicken under running water. If possible, remove the chicken fat (located just outside the undersides of the belly) for later use. Or else, collect them and freeze them when you buy whole chickens, or get them from the butcher, if at possible)
2.3) Place chicken upright in a tray to drip dry for about 1/2 hour
2.4) Beat the fresh egg into a fine mix
2.5). Soak some dry Chinese mushroom in a bowl of boiling water for about 1/2 hour. Then slice or finely chop them up
2.6). Finely chop-up the shallots
2.7) Dice-up the garlic
2.8) Cut up the chicken fat into small pieces (if available; otherwise, the extra chicken stock from chicken bones are just as good and even healthier!)
2.9) Drain water from the packet of tofu, and slice up the tofu into small cubes
3 Cooking Preparation
3.1). Boil about 1/2 pot of water (please ensure that there are just enough water to cover the whole chicken when placed inside the pot, if not, add extra boiling water from the kettle)
3.2) Put 1 table spoonful of oil into the boiling water
3.3) Put the 2 table-spoonful of salt into the belly of the chicken
3.4) Place the 2 lumps of ginger into the belly of the chicken.
3.5) When the water is fully boiled, place the chicken carefully into the pot with the spine of the chicken at the bottm of the pot. Generally, I prefer to place a small, round stainless steel / aluminium mesh or cover at the bottom of the pot to prevent the skin of the chicken from sticking to the surface of the pot during cooking (but if you do not have this mesh, not to worry!)
3.6) Once the chicken is placed inside the pot, bring the water to boil again. Allow the water to boil for the next 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to LOW HEAT to allow the chicken to simmer cook for the next 10 minutes. Place 2 chop sticks across the mouth of the cooking pot, place the pot cover on top of the chop sticks - this will prevent the chicken stock from spilling over the edge of the pot.
3.7) Next, remove the chicken and place it inside the pot in the other position - breast of chicken downwards. Turn off heat and allow the chicken to simmer cook for the next 20 minutes but this time, remove the chop sticks and place the pot cover to allow low pressure, simmer cooking.
3.8) To check whether the chicken is cooked or not, simply pierce a thin instrument (like a bamboo skewer or similar) into the chicken through the uppermost side of the drumstick by about 50 mm and immediately withdraw the piercer out of the chicken. Instantly, you will see some liquid oozing out of the pierced section of the chicken - if it is clear liquid, then chicken is fully cooked. Remember, we want tender chicken, NOT overcooked one!
3.9) Next, remove the chicken from the pot and quickly place the chicken under cold running water all over the outer skin of the chicken (just a few seconds only) to shrink back the skins of the chicken (for a much more tenderised and smooth skin during cutting)
3.10) Place the chicken on a plate to allow it to cool down for the next 30 minutes or so, before chopping it up for serving.
3.11) Wash the rice.
3.12) If you have chicken fat, then slice the fat into smaller pieces, place them in a small pot for gentle frying until the fat becomes oil. Just before the fat becomes light brown, place the finely chopped garlic into the chicken oil until the garlic appears golden brown. Then, pour a large ladle of chicken stock into this pot to stabilise the garlic/chicken fat mix which will then be poured into the rice for cooking.
3.13) Pour quantity of chicken stock into the rice for standard cooking in the rice cooker
3.14) Garnish the serving plate with cucumbers and tomatoes for chopped-up chicken, with Chinese parsley (if preferred).
3.15) Bring chicken stock to boil; put cream sweet corn and frozen mixed vegetables / sliced Chinese mushroom and/or chopped-up fresh prawns and cut-up tofu into stock; and bring to boil again.
3.16) Put beat-up eggs into stock and keep stirring in one direction around the pot until the eggs are "stringy".
3.17) Add some pepper, chopped-up shallots, and/or soya sauce to taste for serving as soup.
3.18) In the meantime, you can prepare some other of your favourite dishes for your guests.
4. Hainanese chicken rice chillies
Of course, there is our special Hainanese chicken rice chillies - ponded or blended chillies, onions (and/or ginger), sugar, salt and lime / lemon juice) to your tastes!
NOTE: if you can improve on my recipe above, please advise us so that we can share our experiences!
Best regards,
Chris Lim in HK ( 21/8/07)
