Chicken Rice (Malaysian style)

Chicken Rice 

(Malaysian style) 

This is my version of Malaysian chicken rice. I used to eat this often in KL back when I was working there. I wasn't aware that it is quite easy to cook it on your own kitchen as long as you got all the ingredients on hand, which is not hard to find wherever you are in Europe now. 

Ingredients:                                                               

One whole medium chicken

3 lemongrass stalks             

1 pandan leaf                        

3 sprigs of spring onions      

thumb sized ginger               

1 clove of garlic                    

3 cherry tomatoes                 

              2 dried chillies soaked in hot water   

2 red finger chillies             

         2 tsp light soya sauce                   

1 tsp sesame oil                  

2 liters of water                   

 1 chicken stock cubes           

salt and pepper to taste         

                                    sliced cucumber and coriander leaves for garnishing

How to cook:                                                                                                         

1.) In a big stock pot, pour in the 2 liters of water. Smash the ginger, 2 spring onions, 2 stalk lemongrass, add all in together in the pot with a teaspoon of salt and chicken stock cubes. Bring to boil.

2.) Rub the chicken with salt until the skin looks very clean and then rinse nicely in running water. Pat dry with kitchen towels. Then once the stock boils, put the chicken in and put back the lid on. Leave for at least another 5 minutes on medium fire then off the stove. DO NOT OPEN the lid of the pot to allow the remaining heat to cook the chicken through. Leave it for 45 minutes (this is according to the 1.5 kg chicken I cooked).

3.) While the chicken is on the pot, you can prepare the sauce. Slice the remaining ginger, garlic, tomatoes and chilies and blend them altogether (I used pessel and mortar). Then season it with soya sauce, set aside. Add some chicken stock later to thin a bit and add some taste too.

4.) After 45 minutes, Prepare the rice, wash nicely in a pot, smash the lemongrass and fold the pandan leaf and add into the rice. Take some stock on the pot where you cooked the chicken and use it to cook the rice(about 4 cups of it). Cook it as usual.  (Take some half a cup and add to your sauce too.)

5.) When your rice is nearly done take your chicken out and let it rest for few minutes before cutting to serve. Slice some cucumber on the side. Use the remaining stock as a side soup by seasoning with salt and pepper, bring it to boil, then garnish with chopped coriander. Serve it as pictured, enjoy!