with executive chef Patrick Ho of Fortuna Hanoi Hotel

Hainanese chicken rice is considered one of Singapore’s national dishes. Commonly served between lunch and dinner, and available in many Chinese coffee shops, restaurants, street hawker stalls and restaurant chains, the dish is served with freshly minced red chili, dark soy sauce and freshly ground ginger. 

Ingredients: serves 1

200g whole chicken, cleaned

50g salt (for chicken soup)

1000g rice, washed and drained

20g lemongrass, crushed

20g garlic, minced

30g ginger, minced (30g for cooking rice, 100g for sauce)

30g chicken powder (for chicken soup)

White pepper powder to taste

30ml sesame oil

50ml light soy sauce

100ml sweet dark sauce

150g large red chilies, minced

50g lime

30g sugar

300g cucumber, peeled and sliced

40g sprig of coriander

20g large red chillies, julienne finely

Method:

- Boil salted water enough to cover whole chicken.

- Place chicken in the boiling water. Lower the heat to simmer.

- Poach the chicken for 40-45mins.

- Remove and bath in ice water.

- Cook rice with lemongrass, garlic, ginger, chicken powder and chicken stock from the poached chicken.

- Mix the sesame oil and light soy sauce and a little chicken stock for the chicken seasoning.

- Mix minced chilies with small lime juice and sugar, adjust to individual liking.

- Decorate platter with cucumber.

- Debone the cooled chicken and chop into biting sizes and place on the decorated platter.

- Drizzle the chicken with sesame oil mixture and décor with sprig of coriander and julienne chilies.

- Adjust the chicken stock with salt, chicken powder and pepper for soup.

- Serve cooked chicken rice with chicken, soup and condiments of sweet dark, chilli and ginger sauce.

You can sample this dish at Fortuna Hanoi Hotel, 6B Láng Hạ St, Ba Đình Dist, Hà Nội. Tel: 84.4. 3831 3333, ext 6435.