Hainese/Singapore Chicken Rice

The idea of this famous chicken dish in southeast Asian is simple but I assure you that you won't forget the complexity of the flavours of this dish.

First you chop the green onions, garlic and ginger for the soup/broth. I kind of screwed up but I forgot to chop shallots until it was almost too late. So that is why you won't see the shallots but I assure you that they are just as important as the other ingredients.


When you have all the veggies chopped, it is time to make the magical chicken broth. As if the ginger, garlic, green onions and shallots are not aromatic enough on its own, you have to use half and half of seasame oil and regular oil. See the light toasting of the veggies. Can't you just smell it? I can, since that smell can linger in the kitchen air for a bit.


Next, when you decide that there is enough garlic and ginger smell in your kitchen to ensure hours of candle burning, make the broth. Add the can soup broth and chicken soup powder to your lightly toasted garlic/ginger mix. This is not as au natural or how the cooks in Singapore would do it, but I also don't make restaurant amount of chicken rice. The cooks would have big cylinders of chicken broth that would have over 50 chickens cooking in it. Even if I wanted to do it the original way, there is not enough chicken fat on that one little chicken to match the flavours. So I cheat. There I said it.

Now that the broth is in a rolling boil, torture the poor chicken in the broth.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat more seasame/canola oil till hot and add more green onions and minced garlic. The special ingredient you need to fry with the onions and garlic is pandan leaves. It gives it a woody flavour that is distinct to south Asia cooking. Now that there is not chance of your kitchen ever smelling normal again, fry the 5 cups of washed rice with the new onion/garlic mix.


Meanwhile, your chicken should be done. To keep with the authenticity of this recipe, I will share with you the secret step the cooks in Singapore swear by. Immediately dunk the whole chicken in ice cold water. This step supposedly makes the skin separates from the meat. And I think it also cools the chicken down enough to make it easier to handle for the chopping part.


Leave the chicken in the ice bath and back to the burnt, I mean, toasting rice/garlic/onion mix. Strain the delicious broth and add it to the fried rice. I had to transfer the rice into the rice cooker bowl so I know to add just the right amount of broth.

You are drooling now, aren't you?! We are almost there, I assure you. While the rice is cooking away, go and chop the chicken into bite size. Once you are done chopping, then your rice should be done. It probably won't take the cooks in Singapore that long, but I want to make sure I still have all my fingers for the eating part.

TAA DAA! I saved the best pic for last. That sauce over the chicken is a little concoction we made. It is a mixture of soy sauce, seasame oil and crushed fried garlic. Gum will be served for dessert after. 8)