Hainanese Chicken Rice (Nasi Ayam Hainan) — Malaysian Kopitiam Classic

• 1 wholewhole chicken (about 1.6 kg, with cavity fat and loose skin reserved for rendering)
• 18 gfine sea salt
• 3.5 lwater
• 3 inchfresh ginger (sliced)
• 4scallions (trimmed and bruised)
• 4 clovegarlic (lightly crushed)
• 2pandan leaves (knotted)
• 900 gice cubes
• 15 mltoasted sesame oil (for brushing the cooked chicken)
• 540 gjasmine rice
• 45 grendered chicken fat (rendered from the reserved chicken fat and skin)
• 720 mlchicken poaching stock
• 6fresh red chillies (stemmed and roughly chopped)
• 2bird's eye chillies (stemmed; use all 2 for a medium-hot sauce)
• 45 mlcalamansi juice
• 12 gwhite sugar
• 60 mlneutral oil
• 45 mllight soy sauce
• 15 mldark soy sauce
• 1 tspwhite pepper
• 1cucumber (sliced into 5 mm rounds)
• 8 sprigcilantro

Instructions

1. 1

   Remove any loose fat from the chicken cavity and trim excess skin near the tail, then reserve these pieces for the rice. Rub the chicken all over with 18 g fine sea salt for 2 minutes, including the cavity, then rinse and pat it very dry so the skin cooks cleanly.

2. 2

   Put 3.5 l water, ginger, scallions, garlic, and knotted pandan leaves into a pot just large enough to hold the chicken. Bring the liquid to a boil, lower in the chicken breast-side down, and let the stock return to a gentle boil for 1 minute.

3. 3

   Reduce the heat until the liquid stays at a quiet 85 to 90 C simmer, with only small bubbles breaking the surface. Poach the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, turning it once halfway through, until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 74 C.

4. 4

   Lift the chicken carefully into a large bowl filled with 900 g ice cubes and enough cold water from the tap to submerge it. Chill it for 12 minutes to tighten the skin, then drain, pat dry, brush with 15 ml sesame oil, and rest uncovered while you prepare the rice and sauces.

5. 5

   Strain the poaching stock through a fine sieve and keep it hot, because it will season the rice, sauces, and serving soup. In a small pan over medium-low heat, render the reserved chicken fat and skin until you have 45 g clear fat, then discard the crisp solids or save them for another use.

6. 6

   Rinse the jasmine rice in several changes of water until the water runs mostly clear, then drain it for 10 minutes. Heat the rendered chicken fat in a rice-cooker pot or saucepan, fry the minced garlic and ginger for 45 seconds, add the drained rice, and stir for 2 minutes until every grain is glossy.

7. 7

   Add 720 ml hot chicken poaching stock, 6 g salt, and 2 knotted pandan leaves to the rice. Cook in a rice cooker on the standard white-rice setting, or bring to a simmer in a covered saucepan and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes, then rest covered for 10 minutes before fluffing.

8. 8

   Make the sambal-style chilli sauce by blending the red chillies, bird's eye chillies, garlic, ginger, calamansi juice, 60 ml stock, sugar, and 4 g salt until slightly coarse. Scrape it into a small bowl and let it stand for 10 minutes so the chilli heat, citrus, and garlic settle into a bright Malaysian-style condiment.

9. 9

   For the ginger-scallion sauce, combine the grated ginger, sliced scallions, 4 g salt, and 30 ml stock in a heatproof bowl. Heat 60 ml neutral oil until it shimmers, pour it over the mixture, and stir well so the aromatics bloom without burning.

10. 10

    Stir the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, 30 ml stock, and 8 g sugar together until the sugar dissolves. Warm 900 ml stock with 3 g salt and white pepper, then add the sliced scallions just before serving to make the clear soup.

11. 11

    Chop the chicken through the bone in the Malaysian hawker style, or carve it off the bone if serving at a family table. Arrange the pieces over cucumber slices, spoon a little soy dressing across the chicken, and keep the remaining sauces in separate small bowls.

12. 12

    Serve each plate with a mound of pandan-scented chicken-fat rice, poached chicken, cucumber, cilantro, sambal-style chilli sauce, ginger-scallion sauce, soy dressing, and a small bowl of hot soup. The rice should taste rich but separate, the chicken should be cool-warm and silky, and the sauces should provide salt, heat, citrus, and aromatic lift.