Hainanese chicken rice sauce recipes

I have attempted to make Hainanese chicken rice many times before and with every trial, I seem to be getting closer to unlocking the secret of making THE ultimate homemade version. The chilli and spring onion/ginger sauce in this recipe is spot on whilst the rice is a good alternative to the oilier version served at restaurants.

Have still yet to master the cooking the chicken to perfection and until then, I shall not publish a recipe. For those unfamiliar, the chicken can be easily prepared by simmering it for about 10 minutes in gently bubbling chicken broth before leaving it for an extra 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked thoroughly. Cooked chicken is then plunged into an ice bath and heavily lashed with a mixture of soy sauce and sesame oil for that glistening appeal.

The size of the chicken does matter when cooking and so does the temperature. You may cheat a little with bland tasting chicken broth but stuffing the chicken with ginger, garlic and pandan leaves is essential for that extra bit of fragrant aroma coming from the chicken meat. Am still experimenting with the poaching element of this dish!

Chilli dipping sauce recipe:
90g red chillies
15g garlic
40g ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
10ml of chicken broth
Juice from half a lime

1. Mince all the ingredients together before adding salt, sugar, chicken broth and lime juice. Adjust taste to your preference.

Personally, I like my dipping sauce to be less diluted than the ones you get from the hawker stalls. However, you can water this sauce down by adding more stock and adjusting to taste accordingly.


Spring onion and ginger oil recipe:
100g ginger
4 stalks of spring onions
2 tbsp chicken oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

1. Mince the ginger and spring onion together before adding the oils and the seasoning. Adjust to taste.