MOCK CHICKEN HAINANESE RICE

I was watching AFC and the program showing was featuring Hainanese Chicken Rice that got me so hungry that I had to literally stand up and make myself some!   Of course I couldn't make it from scratch, or even in the proper way, so I substituted and improvised.  This is the end product. Not authentic  (at al) , but it certainly hit the spot :)

First of all, cook the chicken. For this recipe, I had 6 chicken parts. Along with 2 cloves roughly chopped garlic, 1 x 2 inches ginger in slices, a couple of stalks of scallions, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp crushed whole black pepper, 3 whole shitake mushrooms, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup xiaoxing wine, 1/4 tsp salt, add it all with the chicken into a casserole and top off with cold water.  Let simmer until chicken is cooked, approximately 15-20 minutes. I also added a chicken cube to amp up the chicken flavor.

ABOVE: (clockwise, from top) ginger, shitake mushroom, cracked black pepper, chopped garlic, bay leaf, scallions
BELOW: cut-up chicken pieces
(not in picture : soy sauce, xiaoxing wine)

Garnishes: sliced scallions and cucumbers

Once chicken is cooked, remove from flame, remove chicken and mushrooms and arrange on a serving platter. Garnish with cucumbers and sliced scallions. Strain broth and de-fat by skimming the top of the soup with a spoon, carefully removing the thin layer of fat as much as possible. Set aside.

(clockwise, from top right) broth, grated garlic, grated ginger, cooked rice

 RICE.  Heat a pan and add 1 tbsp oil until hot.  Add 1 tsp grated ginger and saute until fragrant. Add in 2 cloves grated garlic and saute for just a few seconds until fragrant. Do not brown.  Add cooked rice (I used about 6 cups) and about 1 cup of the reserved broth.  Keep adding broth until rice is just moist but not wet. Adjust seasoning with salt as needed. Sprinkle 1 tbsp sesame oil over the rice and mix together. Serve immediately.

Chicken Rice

SOUP. Adjust taste of broth.  If needed add hot water and heat until piping hot. Serve immediately.

(clockwise, from top) grated garlic, chili flakes, grated ginger 

CHILI-GINGER SAUCE. Usually, the ginger sauce and chili paste are served separately, but I decided to mix them together. In a  small bowl, mix together 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 clove grated garlic, 1/2 tsp chili flakes (I like heat, which is why I added this much but you can add as little or as much as you like) and enough broth to make a paste.  In a pan, heat together 1/2 tbsp canola oil and 1/2 tbsp sesame oil until searing hot.  Pour in ginger, garlic, chili mixture and mix together.

Chili-Ginger Sauce

Serve chicken with cucumber, rice, soup. oyster sauce and chili-ginger sauce.