A Chinese delicacy: Hainan chicken, rice
By Mary Winata
JAKARTA (JP): Here are some recipe tips for making these tasty yet simple delicacies, originally from Hainan in China but now with many regional variations throughout Southeast Asia, including in Indonesia.
The spices are easily obtained as they are popular cooking ingredients. All you have to do is follow the recipe and you will be sure to get the desired delicious results.
Hainan Chicken * 1 whole chicken * 1 tbsp salt * 1 tbsp lime juice
(Makes 6 servings)
Spices for cooking * 2 cm ginger, crushed * 2 stalks green onion * 2 l boiling water * 1 l ice water
Spices for chicken * 1 tbsp sesame oil * 1 tbsp soy sauce
Sauce A: Preheat 2 tbsp corn oil and stir fry 1/2 tbsp ginger (finely chopped), 1 stalk green onion, (chopped, white part only) and a pinch of salt.
Sauce B: 3 tbsp oyster sauce.
Sauce C: Combine 3 finely ground chilies, 3 cloves of garlic (finely crushed and fried), 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp sugar, a pinch of salt and 150 ml water.
1. Combine chicken with salt and lime juice, let sit for 10 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. 2. Cook chicken with ginger and green onion in boiling water over high heat until the water begins to simmer again. Remove it and immediately dip the chicken into a bowl of iced water for 1 minute. Place the chicken int he boiling water and repeat the procedure for a second and third time. After that, boil the chicken for another 15 minutes. 3. Remove the pan from heat, cover and allow to stand for 30 minutes. Season with salt and lime juice, then cut the chicken into pieces ready to serve.
Hainan Rice * 450 g rice * 3 tbsp corn oil * enough chicken stock for cooking the rice * 8 cloves garlic, crushed * 4 cm ginger, finely chopped * 2 tbsp green onion, chopped * 1 tsp salt * 1 tbsp soy sauce
(Makes 6 servings)
1. Heat oil, add garlic, ginger and green onion. Stir fry until fragrant. Add salt, soy sauce and rice, stir well. Pour in chicken stock and cook in the rice cooker. 2. Serve Hainan rice with Hainan chicken and dipping sauces.
The writer is a Chinese cookbook writer and these recipes, originally titled Ayam Rebus ala Hainan, and Nasi Hainan are contained in her books Variasi Hidangan Ayam and Ragam Hidangan Nasi, published by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta.