Hainan chicken rice

One of my favourite things to eat is Hainan chicken rice. It's so clean and has such fantastic zippy sauces  that spice up the steeped white chicken breasts. And the sauces are loaded with produce grown in the garden!

It's great if you are feeling like a cold is coming on.

The recipe I have put here is an adaptation of one I cut out of the Good Weekend - the magazine supplement that comes with Sydney's Saturday broadsheet.

The recipe dates from  June 2 2007 apparently as the date is still on the recipe cut out.  I suspect that it was presented by a chef as is often the case - but I can't attribute the author as I have only cut out the recipe.

Hainan chicken rice 
lots of chicken stock  - enough to cover the chicken, cook rice and to add to the sauce below -  I make my own stock regularly
chicken breasts - one breast can serve two people
ginger slices
1 cucumber -  peeled and cut into thin strips
1 tsp sesame oil
rice -  jasmine is nice but today I used brown


Heat chicken stock with ginger slices till boiling. Add chicken breasts and turn heat off.  Cover pot and steep for 45 mins. Cook rice in a rice cooker using chicken stock as the cooking  fluid.


Remove chicken from stock and place on a cutting board.  Turn the heat up again on the chicken stock till it reboils.  Cut chicken breast into thick slices, smear sesame oil over the top. Prepare for each person a bowl of chicken stock soup and a bowl of rice. Serve with cucumber, a slice of lemon or lime, the sauces below and  a tiny bowl of thick dark soy sauce for dipping.

Spring onion, ginger and garlic sauce (* from the garden)
200g spring onion* green tops, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
5cm knob of ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
3 tblsp peanut oil

Place all ingredients except the peanut oil in a serving bowl.  Heat the peanut oil until hot then pour over the spring onion mixture and stir. It sizzles!

Chilli, garlic and ginger sauce (* from the garden)
4 long chillies* finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped

5 cm knob ginger, finely chopped
pinch salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tblsp chicken stock
juice of one lime*

Place chillies, garlic ginger, salt and sugar into a mortar and pestle and pound into a thick and even paste.  Transfer to a serving bowl and add the lime juice and stock.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Now I just need to start growing more garlic and ginger.