Hainan Chifan (Nasi Ayam Hainan)

Everybody has their own version of Hainanese Chicken Rice. As long as the family members give their nods of approval, keep your recipe. Sometimes cooking is not about "taste like restaurant's", but individual creativity.

Well, a few years ago, I made Singapore version of Hainanese Chicken Rice that looked like the one in restaurants and tasted good too. Here's the picture:



But since nowadays I want to be as practical as I can be (not much cooking utensils and less patience ;p), I'd rather whip up the cheat recipe. Feel free to follow my "too-easy-to-do" version of Hainanese Chicken Rice. Here's the step-by-step pictures:


Chicken, garlic, ginger, and shiitake mushroom are the key elements of my Hainanese Chicken Rice. I can't do it without 'em. They're versatile too, you'll see 'em often in my cooking :)



Heat up a tbs of oil. My recipe calls for chicken oil. I harvest chicken skin, and put them in batches in the freezer. Anytime I need flavorful oil, I just throw one batch in a hot pan and let the fat melts. I know it's not healthy, but it's only a tablespoon...And I don't have any other oil in the house but this...and a can of cooking spray...So don't be mad, I don't use it often..And I always throw away the rest of the skin after I get enough oil...one tablespoon ^^



Then, into the pan the garlic and ginger..This will make your house smell like a Chinese restaurant. Stir fry until fragrant.



Next is the juicy and succulent previously dried shiitake mushroom. Please invest on good quality shiitake. Mine is "Ming Chu" brand (big, thick and fat).



You can see the color gets darker. Yes, I did put 1 tbs of sesame oil, 3 tbs of soy sauce, a dash of pepper, a tbs of honey, and 1 tbs of oyster sauce. You can put a little bit of water, and let it boil.



Next, arrange the chicken nicely on top of the mushroom (hubby love dark meat, hence the thighs), sprinkle some salt (generously) on the chicken. Cover the pan. Let the chicken cooked for about 10 to 15 minutes.



What's that??! Is that a plate of grapes?? Yes, your eyes don't fool you. I happen to have red grapes in my fridge and I like to put them in my main course instead of dessert. They work just fine...Trust me. But, this one is optional, no worries.



And what's that white thingy?? Oh, it's just sliced cabbage for extra fiber. Are you health-conscious people? Me too... And they will be very soft once the rice is done. So, you won't even feel there's a serving of vegetable here. A good trick for kids.



This happens fifteen minutes later. Everything in the pan is pretty much cooked. So they can be transferred into the rice cooker.



Hello rice! Sorry to keep you waiting...By the way, prior to cooking the rest of the ingredients, I've prepared the rice first. Take three cups of rice, wash, and put in the rice cooker pan with just enough water to cover it. Don't put too much water or your rice will be soggy later. Then throw in 1/2 tsp of salt, a dash of pepper, and 1 heap tbs of sesame oil. Put the pan in the rice cooker, and plug the cable to the socket. But don't press down the "cook" button. Just keep it warm. This will make the rice evenly cooked with a nice texture.



Transfer the mixture; stir and blend. Place the chicken on top for the last touch. Then you can press the "cook" button and wait impatiently.



It's done! It's done in fifteen minutes! Hmm, hubby will love it!



The texture of the rice resembles sticky-rice, but this one is so flavorful. Kudos to the garlic, ginger, and chicken broth...

Let's not waste our time, come join me and dig in!



Too bad the picture is bit blur. I think I need to buy SLR type camera. I wish! :)


Mrs. Loh Hainanese Chicken Rice

Ingredients:
5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 cm of ginger, cut into three
2 chicken thighs without skin
3 shiitake mushroom, soaked and then sliced
3 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs oyster sauce
1 tbs honey
2 tbs sesame oil
a handful of sliced cabbage (optional)
a handful of halves red grapes (optional)
3 cups of rice
salt and pepper to taste

Methods:
Heat the oil, stir fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant. Put in the mushroom.

Seasoned with soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, pepper, and honey. Add 250 ml of water to cover them.

Place in the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt (and pepper). Cover the pan, let it cook for fifteen minutes.

Once the chicken is cooked, put in the optional ingredients such as cabbage and grapes ^^ When the cabbage is tender, transfer the mixture to the rice cooker (with the rice ready).

Measure the water level in the cooker, add more water if not enough.

Wait 'till you hear the "pop" sound, and it's ready to enjoy with garlic chili sauce. Yum!