I love trying local cuisine around the world. One of the best countries to visit for food is Singapore. It is a melting pot of cultures and the variety of food you find here will leave you in awe. It has been a few years since we went to Singapore. We were lucky to stay with our friends Richa and Sushanth. This meant exploring a lot of local cuisine. The top of the list was the national dish of Singapore, Hainanese Chicken Rice. This is a simple dish made with the simplest of ingredients. I will not lie, on the first look it seemed to be totally bland. It made me wonder what all the hype was about! But the first bite proved all my preconceived notions wrong. It was a bite packed with flavor! I was missing this dish since it has been a couple of years since I ate it and the only way to get my hands on it was to make it. 

What you will need:

How to make it:

To poach the chicken:

• Wash the chicken thoroughly.
• Trim the fat from the neck and tail areas. Save these fat trimmings for the rice.
• Now massage the chicken with salt, ensuring every corner is covered and well salted.
• Stuff half the aromatics (spring onion, lemon grass and ginger) in the chicken.

  

• In a boiling pot, add 8 cups of chicken stock and the remaining aromatics. 
• Add the whole chicken. Add another 4 cups of water to cover the chicken completely. 
• Cook this chicken on a low flame, removing the scum on top occasionally. 
• While making the rice, you will need to remove 3 1/2 cups of water. At that time, top off the chicken with another 4 cups of water. 
• Once the chicken is cooked through (which takes about 2 hours), remove it from the poaching liquid.
• Remove and discard all the aromatics. 
• Carefully separate the wings, leg pieces, breast and keep aside for serving. 
• Traditionally, this chicken is dipped in cold water to maintain the texture and lower the temperature. This cold chicken is served over hot rice. However, I prefer to eat warm chicken so I did not follow that step. You most definitely can!

  

To make the rice:

• Once the chicken has been cooking for an hour or so, start making the rice. 
• Take the chicken fat trimmings and add it to a pan along with 1 tablespoon of oil. 
• Let the fat melt. Once, all the fat has melted, remove the bits of skin. 
• Add finely chopped garlic and sauté until it begins to brown slightly. 
• At this point, add washed rice. 
• Add the chicken broth from the poaching liquid and salt. 
• Give the rice a good mix and cover it. 
• Let it cook on a slow flame until done. 
• Turn the flame off and let the rice rest for 15 minutes. 
• Fluff the rice with a fork when ready to serve. 

To make the chili sauce:

• Add soy sauce, chili sauce/paste, vinegar, sugar and the chicken broth in a bowl and mix well. Add finely chopped spring onions as well.

To make the broth/soup:

• Remove all the aromatics from the poaching liquid.
• Add salt to it per your taste. 

Put everything together:

• In a plate, serve the rice. 
• Slice the chicken and add it on the top. 
• Place some carrots and cucumbers too. 
• Serve the chili sauce and broth in separate bowls on the side.
• This is a perfect family meal! Enjoy!