HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE
Hainanese Chicken Rice can be considered , arguably , the national dish in Singapore . Singaporeans frequently eat it for lunch or dinner.The dish is simple : bite-sized pieces of boiled white chicken, fragrant rice (it’s pre-fried in chicken fat and cooked in chicken broth), light or dark soy sauce, and a delicious ground chilli and ginger paste usually accompanied by a bowl of light chicken broth and thin slices of cucumber .
A lot of effort goes into the preparation of this flavourful dish, with cooks first boiling the whole chicken until it is fully cooked, before immediately soaking it in ice cold water. This stops the cooking process and ensures that the meat remains tender, and is also why the meat is usually served at room temperature. The bird is dipped in ice water after cooking to produce a jelly-like skin finishing, commonly referred to as Báijī ( for "white chicken") .The meat is cooked by boiling in water flavoured with garlic and ginger , chicken bones and other herbs and spices, with the resulting stock used in the preparation of the rice and also in the accompanying soup.
There are three major components to Hainanese Chicken Rice - chicken, rice and chilli sauce.
In Singapore , sometimes , roast chicken are served as well for the chicken rice , but a traditional Hainanese Chicken Rice is the yellow color chicken. The chicken is plucked off the feathers cleaned and washed. Then the entire chicken is cooked in a special broth that contains herbs, garlic, ginger , chicken bones and other spices. Once the chicken is almost cooked , the hawker would take it out and dip it in cold water, and place it back to the broth for cooking to increase the tenderness of the chickens. The tenderness of the chicken is a good process to know the skill and experience of a hawker.
The chicken is usually served with sesame oil, soya sauce and spring onions. Some hawkers will serve the chicken deboned.
There is a specially made rice for this Singapore dish. The rice is cooked with pandan leaves, garlic and the broth that is used to cook the chicken , this increase the aroma of the rice and results in an "oily rice". The rice should look shiny (because of the chicken fats from broth) with a slight tinge of yellow. You should be able to taste chicken with every mouthful of rice.
Most hawkers usually make their own chilli and it has the ability to make or break the dish; too hot will make for an uncomfortable dining experience, too mild will leave the dish tasting bland as a whole. The chilli should not be too hot or too sour or it will spoil the chicken and the rice . It is recommended to be served also with dark soya sauce and ginger paste .
For most stalls, the Chicken Rice comes with some slices of cucumbers and you can also have a serving of braised egg, braised beancurd, chicken liver or vegetables seasoned with oyster sauce.
Simple yet tasty, Hainanese Chicken Rice is Singaporeans’ choice comfort food, making it another must-try.
thanks to all the sources : Wikipedia ; SingaporeLifestyle ; YourSingapore ; MakanTime ; and all the other sites and blogs
A lot of effort goes into the preparation of this flavourful dish, with cooks first boiling the whole chicken until it is fully cooked, before immediately soaking it in ice cold water. This stops the cooking process and ensures that the meat remains tender, and is also why the meat is usually served at room temperature. The bird is dipped in ice water after cooking to produce a jelly-like skin finishing, commonly referred to as Báijī ( for "white chicken") .The meat is cooked by boiling in water flavoured with garlic and ginger , chicken bones and other herbs and spices, with the resulting stock used in the preparation of the rice and also in the accompanying soup.
There are three major components to Hainanese Chicken Rice - chicken, rice and chilli sauce.
In Singapore , sometimes , roast chicken are served as well for the chicken rice , but a traditional Hainanese Chicken Rice is the yellow color chicken. The chicken is plucked off the feathers cleaned and washed. Then the entire chicken is cooked in a special broth that contains herbs, garlic, ginger , chicken bones and other spices. Once the chicken is almost cooked , the hawker would take it out and dip it in cold water, and place it back to the broth for cooking to increase the tenderness of the chickens. The tenderness of the chicken is a good process to know the skill and experience of a hawker.
The chicken is usually served with sesame oil, soya sauce and spring onions. Some hawkers will serve the chicken deboned.
There is a specially made rice for this Singapore dish. The rice is cooked with pandan leaves, garlic and the broth that is used to cook the chicken , this increase the aroma of the rice and results in an "oily rice". The rice should look shiny (because of the chicken fats from broth) with a slight tinge of yellow. You should be able to taste chicken with every mouthful of rice.
Most hawkers usually make their own chilli and it has the ability to make or break the dish; too hot will make for an uncomfortable dining experience, too mild will leave the dish tasting bland as a whole. The chilli should not be too hot or too sour or it will spoil the chicken and the rice . It is recommended to be served also with dark soya sauce and ginger paste .
For most stalls, the Chicken Rice comes with some slices of cucumbers and you can also have a serving of braised egg, braised beancurd, chicken liver or vegetables seasoned with oyster sauce.
Simple yet tasty, Hainanese Chicken Rice is Singaporeans’ choice comfort food, making it another must-try.
thanks to all the sources : Wikipedia ; SingaporeLifestyle ; YourSingapore ; MakanTime ; and all the other sites and blogs