Hainan Chicken Rice

293 Likes, 15 Comments - Susan Sohn (@susanjsohn) on Instagram: "Dinner at #CasaDeSohn. This is one of our family favourites - Hainan Chicken Rice. Link in bio for..."

Plate up!

Plate up!

Okay friends, it’s time to revisit a Sohn family favourite dinner which is approved by family and guests and I’m pretty sure you will love it. Anyone I have made this meal for always asks about for the recipe and comes back for more. This dish is super easy to make and promises to please every palate, from young to old. It is perfect on a chilly, rainy day or as a light option on a hot day. Whatever the weather it promises to delight the palate and soothe the soul.

It is definitely one of the Sohn Family Soul foods.

Ingredients

  • Chicken – You can either use 4 Organic Chicken breasts or the chicken strips that are prepared for stir fry (cuts down on your prep time. You might need to cut them in half as I do to make them bite-size pieces). The trick with the chicken is to keep it moist.

  • 3 cups Chicken Stock

  • 2 cloves chopped Garlic

  • Green Onions/Shallots

  • 1 Full knob of Ginger

  • Olive Oil

  • Salt

Sauce ingredients

  • Approx 10 Green onions finely chopped and placed in a bowl.

  • 1 good sized knob of ginger peeled and grated and mixed with onion (you may use the entire ginger root)

  • 1-1.5 cups Olive Oil

  • Salt to taste

  • Mix all together  and set aside in individual sauce dishes or in one dish for the table with a spoon for distribution.

Method

Chicken

If you choose to poach your chicken, place the breasts or strips in the chicken stock and let it poach slowly (remember you want to make sure you don’t dry the chicken out).
Once Chicken is poached place it on a serving plate. If you want to dress the meal up serve the chicken on a bed of lettuce. Alternatively, you can plate each meal as per photo. If you’ve poached, reserve the stock and give each person a bowl of soup (the stock….it’s so yummy).

Rice (This is important)

Cook your rice in Chicken Stock  (follow your usual rice cooking directions and just use broth instead of plain water). So tasty, you’ll love your rice cooked this way.

Veggies

Our family loves Baby Bok Choy. I have made this as a simple stir fry it in a little olive oil and a lot of garlic (we’re a garlic family – don’t be scared it’s really good for your health and if everyone eats it no one can tell anyone has the dreaded ’garlic breath’). Or, recently I have been blanching the Bok Choy in the broth which adds flavour to the broth and keeps the dish less oily which some prefer.

To Serve

Typically I will put the Chicken and Veggies on a big platter in the middle of the table. I then use a rice bowl for the rice and an Asian soup bowl for the soup. However, in the picture above I kept things simple and used a white dinner plate. Created the rice block by using a square sauce dish and inverting the rice onto the plate. placed the chicken near the rice then drizzled the sauce over. The soup was in a Korean teacup (easy to drink and dip your veggies in. Next time I would opt for a rice bowl, easier for dipping and still drinkable). Lastly, after blanching the veggies I simply cut them in 3 and piled them on the plate to add a dimension to the dish.

Ginseng Chicken Soup

Well friends, I have dug into the past and not only pulled up the recipe with a video that was made in the early days of what was then 'RealLife'. This is one of those moments when the archives tell a story…. yep, different hair (much darker) and a few years younger… Oh well, hope you enjoy, and I hope that this soup soothes the souls, hearts and sniffles or simply aches and pains that may happen in your home. This has definitely become one of our 'go-to' foods when life feels tough. I hope you enjoy. It has served our family well for years and is definitely one to share. Let us know how it goes. 

Ingredients

  • 1 Chicken (I use a regular organic chicken)

  • 1/2 cup Glutinous Rice (or simply normal cooked rice… you can use brown rice if you like)

  • 10-20 cloves of Garlic

  • 6 Jujubes (Red Dates – can be bought from the Asian Supermarket but if you don’t have them, don’t worry)

  • 6 Chestnuts (I use 1 can of whole water chestnuts again, if you don't have don't stress)

  • 1 knob of Ginger

  • Salt & Pepper

Method

  1. Remove organs, and clean.

  2. Stuff the chicken cavity with the rice and 10 cloves of Garlic. Sew the body cavity shut.

  3. Put the stuffed chicken in a pot. Add the Jujubes (if you have them), chestnuts, remaining garlic cloves, ginger. Add 2-3 cups of water.

  4. Bring to a rolling boil. Let it boil for 5-10mins and skim off any foam that gathers. Turn heat to minimum and cover the pot. Let this cook away for 20mins then reduce heat and let simmer for 1 hour (I usually simmer for 2 hours).

  5. Add salt and white pepper and sliced green onion (if you want) just before serving.

Note

To serve place salt and white pepper (equal parts) in a small side dish and use to dip chicken into. Eat with chopsticks and a spoon pulling the chicken out, dipping in salt/pepper and eat the soup with the rice. Also, for a more medicinal use add a ginseng root which you can usually get at the Asian Supermarket. Again, if this isn't something I have readily available I make it without and it's just as good.

75 Likes, 18 Comments - Susan Sohn (@susanjsohn) on Instagram: "When cold and flu hit #CasaDeSohn the only remedy is Ginseng Chicken Soup. #Korean #Whasian"