Summary
| Yield | |
|---|---|
| Source | Uniquely Singapore and Violet Oon |
| Prep Time | 2 hours |
Description
A slightly different take on the Hainanese Chicken Rice recipe, where the standard rice dish is replaced with a rice pilaf.
Ingredients
- 1 whole young fryer chicken
- 1 ginger root
- 2 scallion stalks
- 1 1⁄2 T kosher or sea salt
- 2 c white basmati rice
- 2 clv garlic
- 4 -inch orange rind strips, no pith
- 2 t unsalted butter
- 1 T sesame oil
- 1 t ground chile powder (not chili powder)
- 1 t ground cumin
Instructions
Chicken
Bring a large stock pot with water and half of the salt to a boil.
Rinse the chicken and remove any excess fat, innards and feather stalks that might be left on and pad dry with paper towels.
Slice half of the ginger root into half-inch slices and chop the scallions into 1-inch pieces. Sprinkle a pinch of salt into the cavity of the chicken and lightly stuff with the sliced ginger root and scallion.
Place the chicken into the stock pot, breast-side down, and make sure that the chicken is submerged and covered with about an inch of water. Bring the pot back to a boil and reduce the heat to just under a boil. Cover and cooking until the chicken is done, about 40 minutes. Once the chicken is done, dunk the chicken into a pot filled with iced water or rinse under cold water until the chicken is cold. Remove the chicken, pad the outside completely dry and rub with sesame oil.
Reserve the chicken stock and the cooked ginger root.
Rice Pilaf
Rinse the rice in a wire strainer under cold water until the resulting water is clear. Drain the rice and let it partially dry for a couple of minutes.
Heat up well-seasoned or enamel-coated cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat and melt the butter. Using a rasp grater, grate the garlic and remaining ginger root into the melted butter and sautee until lightly browned. Pour in the partially-dried rice with the remaining salt, all of the ground chile powder and ground cumin, stir and cook until the edge of each grain of rice becomes slightly translucent. Add the reserved chicken stock to cover the rice by about an inch. Place the cooked ginger root cooked with the chicken and the strips of orange rind
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 20-25 minutes, or until all of the stock has been absorbed by the rice and the bottom of the pot is dry.
Remove from heat, remove the lid, then fluff with a fork or a thin set of chopsticks, being careful not to break up the rice.
Serve the chicken, which can be re-heated in a 200-degree F oven or served cold, with some rice.
Notes
The amount of stock required for the rice pilaf will depend in the rice and how the rice is cooked. If the rice is too dry after 20-25 minutes, reduce the heat to low, add some additional chicken stock and cover for 2-3 minutes. Repeat as necessary.
If the rice is too wet, reduce to low and remove the lid. Stir until the bottom of the pot is dry. The rice may not have the proper texture, but should be fully cooked.
