Hainanese chicken rice
| Hainanese chicken rice | |||||||||||||||
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 Hainanese chicken rice served at a food court | |||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 海南雞飯 | ||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 海南鸡饭 | ||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Hainan chicken rice | ||||||||||||||
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Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of Chinese origin most commonly associated with Hainanese cuisine, Malaysian cuisine and Singaporean cuisine, although it is also commonly sold in neighbouring Thailand. It is based on the well-known Hainanese dish called Wenchang chicken (文昌雞). So-called due to its roots in Hainan cuisine and its adoption by the Hainanese overseas Chinese population in the Nanyang area (present-day Southeast Asia), the version found in the Malaysia region combines elements of Hainanese and Cantonese cuisines along with culinary preferences in the Southeast Asian region.
Preparation
The chicken is prepared in traditional Hainanese methods which involve the boiling of the entire chicken in a pork and chicken bone stock, reusing the broth over and over and only topping it up with water when needed, in accordance with the Chinese preferences for creating master stocks. This stock is not used for rice preparation, which instead involves chicken stock created specifically for that purpose, producing an oily, flavourful rice sometimes known as "oily rice" with Southeast Asian pandan leaves added sometimes. Some cooks may add coconut milk to the rice, reminiscent of the Malay dish nasi lemak.
The Hainanese prefer using older, plumper birds to maximise the amount of oil extracted, thus creating a more flavourful dish. Over time, however, the dish began adopting elements of Cantonese cooking styles, such as using younger birds to produce more tender meats. In another variation, the bird is dipped in ice after cooking to produce a jelly-like skin finishing, commonly referred to as Báijī (白雞) for "white chicken", in contrast to the more traditional Lǔjī (滷雞, stock chicken) or Shāojī (燒雞, roasted chicken). In Singapore, where modernity has made the maintenance and long-term storage of master stocks unfeasible, the meat is cooked by boiling in water flavoured with garlic and ginger instead, with the resulting stock used in the preparation of the rice and also in the accompanying soup.
The dish is usually served with several dips, including chilli sauce and pounded ginger. It is common in Hainan to also offer a third sauce involving oyster sauce mixed with garlic, while dark soy sauce is more commonly served in Malaysia/Singapore. The Malaysian/Singaporean version of the chili are also much hotter, reflecting its Southeast Asian influences, and may also involve a mixture of chilli with garlic. Most dishes are served with sliced cucumber, reflecting the Chinese preference for introducing some variety for a more complete meal.
Sometimes a boneless version of chicken rice is served in Malaysia or Singapore.
Regional variations
Malaysia
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In Malacca, the chicken rice is served as rice balls rather than a bowl of rice, commonly known as Chicken rice balls. Steamed rice is shaped into golf ball-sized orbs and served alongside the chopped chicken. This dish is eaten the same way as the regular version, making sure to get a portion of chicken, some rice and the soy and chili condiment into each mouthful. Older chefs argue that the rice was originally shaped into balls because it needed to be kept warm from the time it was cooked (often earlier in the day) until mealtime. The rice balls, when stored in wooden containers, apparently stayed warm for a longer time. The other theory is that the rice balls were more portable and were easier for labourers working on plantations to transport from home. Today, rice balls are appreciated more as a novelty than anything else.
The Ipoh bean sprout chicken rice (Ngah Choi Kai Fan) of Ipoh, Malaysia, is the Cantonese version with steamed chicken served with boiled bean sprouts but in white rice rather than the flavoured oil rice. This is a very popular version of the rice and many other chicken rice stall have slowly followed it by adding in bean sprouts along with the chicken. The chicken rice dish can also be further accompanied with a simple pork meatball soup. In addition to that, various hawkers also sell a variety of chicken innards - gizzard, liver, intestines - which are also equally popular for chicken rice lovers.
Chicken rice in Malaysia is available in many Chinese coffee shops or restaurants or street hawker stalls, but also chain restaurants such as The Chicken Rice Shop, KFC's Rasamas and famous Malaysia Chinatown's Nam Heong. Most chicken rice vendors in the country also offer an alternative of roasted chicken instead of the regular, steamed one. Other variations include a BBQ version or also a honey-roasted choice.
Singapore
The prevalence of stalls selling Hainanese chicken rice as their primary specialty in Singapore underscores the dish's unrivalled popularity amongst Singaporeans and overseas visitors. Hainanese chicken rice is often considered as the "national dish" of Singapore, and is often served at international expositions and global events abroad, and in Singaporean-run restaurants overseas. Hainanese chicken rice is also one of the few local dishes served on Singapore Airlines flights.
In Singapore, Hainanese chicken rice is served at stalls and food courts. There are Hainanese chicken rice stalls that have established franchise or branch outlets, and these include Five Star Hainanese Chicken Rice, Boon Tong Kee, Tian Tian (restaurant), Loy Kee and others which have many outlets island wide. The price range is around S$2-4 (the latter if the dish includes a drumstick). Some stalls serve extras such as a hard boiled egg, chicken liver, firm tofu and kailan as side dishes, each dish usually costing around S$0.50 to S$1.50. Some may serve set meals which include these side dishes. Even canteen vendors in schools also sell chicken rice. However, this tends to be simpler in style, and comprises just sliced chicken with rice and soy sauce as a healthier choice.
Hainanese-owned coffee shops tend to serve a variety of Hainanese cuisine, with chicken rice being the main highlight. Other Hainanese dishes include pork chop, vegetables, fish, eggs and char siew. Most of these shops are air-conditioned, and are mainly concentrated at Purvis Street and Seah Street.[1] The dish was touted popularised in Singapore in the 1950s by Moh Lee Twee, whose Swee Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant operated from 1947 to 1997.[2]
Singapore, like Malaysia, offers other variations of this dish, which include the use of roasted instead of steamed chicken.
Thailand
Hainanese chicken rice is a common dish in Thailand where it is called khao man kai (Template:Lang-th), literally meaning 'oiled rice chicken'. The chickens used in Thailand for this dish can be free range chickens of local breeds, resulting in a leaner and tastier dish, but increasingly meat chickens from large scale poultry farms is being used. Khao man kai is served with a garnish of cucumbers and sometimes chicken blood tofu and fresh coriander, along with a bowl of clear chicken broth. The sauce accompanying this dish is made with tauchu (also known as yellow soybean paste), thick soy sauce, chilli, ginger, garlic and vinegar. In many of the more traditional khao man kai eateries, this dish will only be available until lunchtime.
See also
References
- ^ Wang Zhenchun (王振春). Hua Shuo Hainan Ren (话说海南人): Hainanese Coffeeshops (海南人的咖啡店). The Youth Book Co. Singapore. 2008. pp 25.
- ^ Wang Zhenchun (王振春). Hua Shuo Hainan Ren (话说海南人): Mo Lu Rui Created The Mini Hainanese Chicken Rice Empire (莫履瑞创下海南鸡饭小王国). The Youth Book Co. Singapore. 2008. ISBN: 978-981-08-1095-5. pp 82
