Hainanese Chicken Rice

• 1 x 1.5kg chicken (large chicken)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• a thumb-size piece of ginger
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 250g Thai fragrant jasmine rice

Ginger Oil

• a large knob of ginger, finely chopped
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Chilli garlic sauce

• 1/2 a thumb size piece of ginger
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 10 large red chillies

Hot Liquid

• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons hot vegetable (or chicken) stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure sesame oil
• Fresh coriander leaves for garnish
• 1 whole cucumber sliced for garnish

1. Find the parson’s nose of your chicken (it’s at the rear end and resembles something of a triangular tail no larger than the joint of your thumb) and cut it off – it will make your stock bitter if not discarded.

2. Rub the chicken all over with the salt, then place it in a large saucepan and cover it with cold water until fully submerged. Finely slice the ginger and add three-quarters of it to the saucepan along with the stock cube.

3. Using the flat side of a knife or cleaver, smash the garlic and peel away the skin. Set aside with the remaining ginger. Mix the sesame oil and light soy sauce together in a small bowl.

4. Cover the saucepan with a lid and bring to the boil. Once the water starts to boil, reduce the heat and leave to simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave the chicken to sit in the covered pot for a further 40 minutes.

5. Carefully remove the chicken from the pan, reserving the cooking liquid, and submerge it in a separate pot of cold water for 2 minutes. Drain and then baste it in the sesame and soy mix. Set aside to rest for 20 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, wash the rice, then place in a pan with the remaining ginger, the garlic clove and 320ml of the chicken poaching liquid. Mix together well, then cover with a lid and bring to a boil on high heat. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, then turn the heat off and leave to steam with the lid on for a further 15 minutes.

7. While the rice is steaming, make the ginger oil. Add the finely chopped ginger, spring onions and salt to a small serving bowl and mix together. Heat the oil in a small frying pan until smoking-hot, then pour over the ginger and spring onion to sizzle. Mix together well.

8. Carve the chicken and arrange it on a large serving platter with the ginger oil and chicken rice. Accompany with slices of skinless cucumber and chilli sauce, if desired.

Pro tip: To check that the chicken is thoroughly cooked after sitting in the hot water for 40 minutes, poke a small, sharp paring knife through the thickest part of the thigh and press into the skin a little. If the juices run clear and no blood is present, the chicken is ready to eat.

FRESH CHILLI SAUCE

9. Roughly chop the ginger, garlic and chillies and place in a food processor.

10. Put all the hot liquid ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once the sugar has melted, switch the hob off and pour the hot liquid into a food processor. Pulse until a paste-like consistency has formed.

11. Set aside, cover and chill (if you wish) or serve immediately. Once cooked you can keep it in the fridge and consume it within 2 or 3 days of making it.