Nasi ayam (chicken rice)

The chicken rice is a favourite lunch option in Malaysia. But I rarely make it because I think it is a tedious affair. You see, the chicken rice dish will not be complete without its two sauces of soy and chili, some soup and a salad of lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers on the side. My personal favourite chicken rice is the chicken rice made by a lady named Halimah Bachik, who opened a few chains of restaurants selling chicken rice specifically. Seriously, no one makes chicken rice as good as she does. The succulence of her chicken which has a fusion of unidentifiable spices that tasted really good, different than others I ever tasted. The Halimah Bachik restaurants can be found in Tronoh, Ipoh and Lumut, all in Perak. Now hers is a recipe I would give up a few thousands for…  Anyway, for my version of chicken rice you’ll need:

1 chicken (cut into 4)
4 cups rice
To blend – 2 garlic, 2 inches ginger & 4 shallots
1 chicken carcass or chicken stock
Some cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves and cardamoms
3 potatoes (quartered)
1 carrot (sliced)
Oyster sauce – 2 tablespoons for the marinate & 2 tablespoons for the sauce
Soy sauce – 3 tablespoons for the marinate & 2 tablespoons for the sauce
2 pandan leaves (knotted)
Salt to taste
6 chillies
2 garlic
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoon lemon juice
A few drops of sesame oil
3 tablespoons sugar
For garnishing – lettuce, cucumber (sliced), tomatoes (sliced), parsley

How to make it:

Boil the chicken carcass or stock in some water. The broth will be used for the rice, sauce and soup.

Making the rice – Wash the rice. Add a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of the blended ingredients to the rice and pour the stock in enough to cook the rice. Add in the pandan leaves. Cook the rice as usual. Note: You can make the rice a little bit yellow in colour by adding a pinch of turmeric powder when cooking the rice (be careful not to put so much in), or you can leave the colour to be white.

Making the chicken – Marinate the chicken with a tablespoon of the blended ingredients, oyster sauce and soy sauce. Deep fry the chicken in oil or roast the chicken in the oven at 200C.

Making the sauce – Take about a bowl of the broth. Heat it in a saucepan. Add in some soy sauce and salt to taste. Add a few drops of sesame oil (not too much or it will taste weird!). Remove from heat and put aside.

Making the chili sauce – Blend the chilies, 2 garlic, vinegar and lemon juice together. Add salt and sugar to taste.

Making the soup – Make the extra broth into a soup. Add in the cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise and cardamoms. Then add in potatoes and carrots. Let it boil. Add salt to taste.

Serving – Serve the rice with the chicken garnished with the salad, tomatoes and cucumbers together with some soup in a bowl garnished with parsley as a side dish.