Hainanese Chicken Rice (Singapore style)

Singapore, despite being a very small country, has a very rich food culture. As Singapore has 4 major ethnic groups (Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian) with most of our forefathers coming from different parts of the world, Singapore food cultures can be considered as a combination of food cultures from different countries and different dialect groups. One of the national dish of Singapore that immediately pop up in any Singaporean’s mind is the Hainanese Chicken Rice, which is a dish with juicy steamed white chicken or roasted chicken chopped into strip-size pieces served on fragrant rice. As the name suggest, the chicken rice originated from Hainan which is an island offshore of southern coast of China, but the dish in Singapore is different from its predecessor in Hainan. The chicken rice in Hainan is served with Wenchang chicken (文昌雞), which is prepared from bony and fibrous fowl, and oily rice. Singapore version of the chicken rice is probably modified by the Hainanese immigrant in the 1850s and combined with local influences. The Cantonese has also play an important role in influencing Singapore version of the Hainanese chicken rice where tender and young chicken are used and the addition of lime to the chilli sauce.

Chicken rice served with steamed chicken. Picture obtained from http://www.visitsingapore.com.

Chicken rice served with roasted chicken. Picture obtained from http://www.singaporelocalfavourites.com.

Traditional Hainanese chicken rice is usually served with the steamed chicken, which is prepared by first poaching the entire chicken and then immediately submerged the chicken into freezing water to create a thick jelly layer around the skin. Besides steamed chicken, roasted chicken is also commonly served in almost all the chicken rice stalls. The most important component of the chicken rice is not the chicken itself; it is the rice that plays the most crucial role in determining whether the whole dish is satisfactory. The typical recipe for the rice first require the pre-frying of the rice grains with chicken fat, followed by cooking the rice in chicken broth containing ginger, garlic and pandan leaves. Different chefs have their personal recipes for the rice that allow them to differentiate themselves from each other. The chicken and the fragrant rice can be served either on separate plates or served together on the same plate depending on the vendors. The final touches to the chicken rice include the addition of coriander leaves, sesame oil and light soy sauce. The dish is usually served with a bowl of chicken broth soup and a small plate of garlic-chilli sauce (a perfect blend between spiciness and sourness) to complete the entire dish.

Typical chicken rice stalls with rows of steamed and roasted chicken hanging in front of the store.

Hainanese chicken rice can be found in almost everywhere in Singapore, from coffee shops to food centres to food court and even high-end restaurants, all serving the same dish at different prices. It is easy to spot a stall that sells the chicken rice in Singapore by looking for a stall that hangs a row of steamed/roasted chicken in front of the stall. Hainanese chicken rice is listed on Singapore Tourism Board as one of the local dishes that tourists should not miss when visiting Singapore. This dish is also featured as the World’s 50 best foods in July 2017 by CNN, together with roti prata, laksa and chilli crab in the list as well. So, do not miss out this delicious dish when you are in Singapore!

References:
http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_910_2005-01-11.html
http://www.visitsingapore.com/dining-drinks-singapore/local-dishes/hainanese-chicken-rice.html
http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/world-best-foods-readers-choice/index.html
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/singapore/articles/a-brief-history-of-hainanese-chicken-rice-singapores-national-dish/
http://goodyfeed.com/the-history-of-chicken-rice-isnt-as-simple-as-you-think-it-is/
http://sgfoodhistory.blogspot.sg/2012/07/hainanese-chicken-rice.html