Cook this delicious Vietnamese Hoi An-style chicken & rice for a taste of the exotic East at home.
The tender chicken and golden rice are complemented by Hoi An chili sauce, a sweet and spicy sauce with a vibrant colour, and chunky texture.
The dish has a special rich and salty flavour.
Gather your ingredients:
1 whole chicken with innards
8 cups rice
1 onion
1 carrot
1/2 papaya
Onion, garlic, turmeric, ginger, lime, chili
Laksa leaves, coriander
Spices: fish sauce, salt, sugar, stock powder, pepper
Preparation:
Clean chicken, rub with lime and salt, then marinate with turmeric for golden colour.
Shred vegetables and soak in the vinegar mixture. Marinate chopped chicken intestines.
Cook:
Boil the chicken with ginger, shallots, and seasoning until tender.
Fry garlic oil, stir-fry rice with turmeric juice, then cook in the chicken broth.
Debone the cooled chicken, cut thigh and skin-attached meat into bite-sized pieces, and shred the breast meat.
Mix the breast meat with the soaked onions, a teaspoon of lime juice, a teaspoon of fish sauce, half a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of sugar, a pinch of pepper, and chopped coriander.
Special Sauce:
For the sauce, fry the shallots, then add the marinated chicken intestines and cook.
Pour in the chicken broth, adjust seasoning to taste, and finally, remove the intestines before serving.
Assemble:
Press rice into a bowl, invert onto a plate.
Arrange chicken pieces, salads, vegetables, and fried onions.
Serve with the sauce and a bowl of chicken broth and light some lanterns – you could almost be in Hoi An!
Hoi An, in central Vietnam is known for its old town – a maze of quaint streets, and traditional buildings which are lit with lanterns at night.
Visitors and locals stroll along the gentle Hoai River in which the reflections of the lights sparkly. The red and yellow of the lanterns is echoed in this namesake tasty chicken dish.
Originally a street dish, brought by Chinese traders, the dish has been elevated by its place in many famous restaurants in Hoi An. The local saying goes ‘If you haven’t tried Hoi An chicken rice, you haven’t really been to Hoi An’.
The rice is traditionally steamed with pineapple leaves to give it a unique aroma, and rich tumeric is used for the golden colour.
