Hainanese Chicken Rice

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, about 1.6kg, at room temperature
• 3 litres water
• 6cm piece fresh ginger, sliced
• 6 spring onions
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp coarse salt
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 400g jasmine rice
• 3 tbsp chicken fat, trimmed from the chicken, or 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 garlic cloves, extra, finely chopped
• 3cm piece ginger, extra, grated
• 2 pandan leaves, knotted
• 1 tsp salt, extra
• 8 red chillies, deseeded, for the chilli sauce
• 4 garlic cloves, extra again, for the chilli sauce
• 3cm piece ginger, extra again, for the chilli sauce
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tsp sugar
• 6cm piece ginger, for the ginger sauce
• 3 spring onions, white parts, for the ginger sauce
• 4 tbsp neutral oil, heated, for the ginger sauce
• 3 tbsp dark sweet soy sauce
• 1 cucumber, sliced, to serve
• coriander sprigs, to serve

Before you cook

• Trim the loose fat from the chicken cavity and set it aside for the rice.
• Rub the whole chicken inside and out with the coarse salt, scrubbing the skin, then rinse it clean.
• Stuff the cavity with the sliced ginger, spring onions and crushed garlic.
• Rinse the jasmine rice until the water runs clear, then drain it well in a sieve for 15 minutes.
• Fill a large bowl with cold water and plenty of ice and keep it near the stove.
• Blend the chillies, garlic, ginger, lime juice and sugar to a smooth sauce and set aside.
• Grate the 6cm piece of ginger and mince the spring onion whites into a heatproof bowl with a good pinch of salt.

Steps

1. Bring the water to a rolling boil in a pot just wide enough to hold the chicken.
2. Lower the chicken in breast side down and let the water come back to a boil.
3. Turn the heat down at once so the surface only shivers, and poach the chicken for 40 minutes without letting it boil.
4. Check the chicken by piercing the thickest part of the thigh, looking for clear juices.
5. Lift the chicken out and plunge it straight into the ice bath for 10 minutes, which stops the cooking and firms the skin.
6. Reserve the poaching broth and skim the fat from the top into a small bowl.
7. Lift the chicken out, pat it dry, and rub it all over with the sesame oil.
8. Render the reserved chicken fat with the skimmed fat in a saucepan over low heat for 5 minutes, discarding any solids.
9. Fry the chopped garlic and grated ginger in that fat for 2 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
10. Add the drained rice and stir it in the fat for 3 minutes until every grain is coated and slightly translucent.
11. Pour in 600ml of the hot poaching broth, add the knotted pandan leaves and the extra salt, and bring it to a boil.
12. Cover the pan tightly, drop the heat to its lowest setting, and cook the rice for 13 minutes.
13. Turn off the heat and leave the rice covered and undisturbed for 10 minutes.
14. Heat the 4 tablespoons of oil until it just begins to smoke and pour it over the grated ginger and spring onion to make the ginger sauce.
15. Chop the chicken through the bone into wide pieces and lay them on a platter with cucumber slices and coriander.
16. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve it alongside with the chilli sauce, ginger sauce, dark soy and small bowls of the hot broth.