Smooth operators for good Hainan chicken rice

Grace Segran, Contributor, Jakarta

One normally uses the word "smooth" to describe fabric or a particularly good trip, but not chicken. Well, in the case of Hainan chicken rice, "smooth" aptly describes the quality of the chicken.

Hainan is an island located off the southern-most coast of China's Guangdong province. There is apparently little in the way of indigenous cuisine and Hainan-style restaurants outside of Hainan are pretty rare. However, most of the world knows Hainan for its chicken rice, and it is Singapore which has made the dish its own. Chicken rice is as common in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur as Starbucks outlets are in Manhattan.

However, this wasn't always the case. When I was growing up, it was a treat to have chicken rice for lunch. The dish is now so widely available and affordable, people in Malaysia and Singapore just have to go down to the nearest coffee shop and pay US$2 for a plate of chicken rice.

Many cafes and hotels also serve Hainan chicken rice, though they are usually glorified versions at augmented prices.

For those who haven't tried this dish, here's a brief description. Hainan chicken rice consists of boneless chicken pieces poached to perfection, glistening with fragrant sesame oil with a drizzle of soya sauce. It is served with enriched rice whose every grain is plump and separate, yet chewy and bursting with flavor.

It is served with a bowl of clear stock, which was used to cook the chicken in. Traditionally it is accompanied by two or three sauces: homemade pureed chili, sweet, dark soy sauce and/or pulverized ginger in chicken oil.

"The quality of the Hainan chicken rice is determined by the 'smoothness' of the chicken," said an avid fan of the dish. "It refers to the texture of the chicken and how it seems to 'slide' around one's tongue."

The other determining factor is the chili sauce. Remember that the chicken itself is au naturel, hence it gets its taste mainly from the sauce. The chilies should be coarsely ground with ginger and garlic and swimming in white vinegar enhanced with a dash of chicken oil. It should pack a punch with its sweet, salty and sour tastes all rolled into one.

While the concept of Hainan chicken rice is simple, its execution is fairly difficult, as one has to get the chicken cooked just right. In fact, the preparation of this dish is one of those things that can trigger obsession.

Chef Donald Pezar of the Kempinski Hotel bemoans the fact that each of his cooks has his own idea of how the ultimate Hainan chicken rice should be prepared. And a little sleuth work around town by our team of die-hard Malaysian and Singaporean Hainan chicken rice fans confirmed that when it comes to preparing this dish, there are as many opinions as there are chefs.

Chinese chef Alex Chong Witt of the Gran Melia, for example, simmers the chicken in an open pot for 25 minutes, while head cook Sammi Hou of the Hard Rock Cafe Jakarta dunks the chicken repeatedly in a pot of boiling water for five minutes before allowing it to simmer for 45 to 60 minutes.

Chinese chef Lim Hing Fatt of the Golden Lotus Restaurant in Dynasty Hotel in Kuta, Bali, brings the water to a rolling boil, puts in the chicken, covers the pot, switches off the fire and leaves the chicken to steep for 20 minutes.

Pezar's recipe on the other hand, calls for the chicken to be steeped in boiling water for 15 minutes, and then dipped in cold water -- with the process being repeated three times.

All, however, agree that the chicken should sit in cold water the moment it is taken out of the pot. This is to stop the chicken from cooking further.

The team's verdict is that the best tasting and best value-for-money Hainan chicken rice is served at the Hard Rock Cafe Jakarta. At Rp 30,000 per portion, the chicken is the smoothest of the lot and the rice is authentically flavored -- good enough to eat on its own! The chili sauce is tasty, although its consistency is thicker than what we are familiar with back home.

The following outlets came a close second and we appreciated how each of their Hainan chicken rice dishes had something authentic about them.

Kempinski's Java Cafe has the most authentic soup -- a refreshing, clear chicken stock with a sprinkling of chopped spring onion. It is priced at Rp 42,000 and the portion of chicken was very generous although it was a little overdone.

The Gran Melia whipped up a respectable chicken rice and tasty ginger and chili sauces that one would be tempted to consume by the pint. At Rp 85,000 it was by far the most expensive. The soup, while delicious, was far too rich and detracted from the subtle flavor of the chicken.

The closest to Malaysian chicken rice came from Bali's Dynasty Hotel. It was priced reasonably at Rp 26,500 per person. However, the portion was relatively small. The texture of the chicken was good and it was served with stir-fried bean sprouts, Ipoh-style.

The Singapore Chicken Rice stall is a familiar sight at Singaporean get-togethers. This eatery -- there are 10 outlets all over Jakarta including one at the MegaMall in Kelapa Gading and one on Sudirman -- is quintessentially Singaporean, serving both roast and poached chicken.

The chicken portion is modest but so is the price at only Rp 9,000. Both types of chicken tasted exactly like the chicken served at hawker centers in Singapore. However, the rice was disappointing, as local rice was used instead of grainy, fragrant Thai rice. The chili sauce packed a punch but the dark sauce was not the thick sweet type used back home.

That is just a quick tour of some of the best places to get Hainan chicken rice in Indonesia. And remember, as with most things in life the smoother the chicken the better.