Cook’s notes

When the girls were in college, we visited for various reasons. Sam was studying Photography and Alex was in Technical Theater, so we went to see plays and attended exhibits. Because it was a two to three-hour drive, we’d leave the house early and, if traffic wasn’t so bad, we’d have an hour or so to relax before proceeding to the event.

One of our favorite ways to spend the waiting time was by having a meal at a restaurant just outside the school. The specialty? Lemongrass chicken. We loved the food, we ate there three or four times, but the music got louder each time until it wasn’t music anymore but just head-splitting noise, and we just stopped patronizing the establishment.

It’s been years but I still remember the food. The citrusy aroma that always filled the dining room, the delicious rice that was obviously cooked in the broth in which the chicken had been poached, and the broth that was served on the side. This is my version of the dish.

Lemongrass pandan chicken and rice

Prep: 15

Cook: 1

Soaking 30

Total: 1 45

Servings: 3 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Label: Bone-in chicken

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Ingredients

Chicken

3 chicken leg quarters total weight is about one kilogram (2.2 pounds)
2 tablespoons rock salt
4 to 5 stalks lemongrass (lower portions only) lightly pounded
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 pandan leaves tied into a knot
2 pairs kaffir lime leaves
3 to 4 stalks scallions
4 to 6 stalks cilantro
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons sesame seed oil

Rice

1 ½ cups rice
3 cups strained cooking liquid

Dipping sauce

1 ½ tablespoons chopped garlic
1 ½ tablespoons chopped ginger
3 to 4 tablespoons finely sliced scallions
1 bird’s eye chili thinly sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

Chicken

Place the chicken in a mixing bowl, add the salt and rub all over for a minute oor so. Rinse and dry with paper towels.
Line a pan with the lemongrass stalks and arrange the chicken on top.
Add the pepper, pandan leaves, kaffir lime leaves, scallions and cilantro.
Drizzle in the soy sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce.
Pour in enough water to cover the chicken.
Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover the pan and poach the chicken for half an hour.
Turn off the heat, flip the chicken over, replace the lid and continue cooking the chicken in the residual heat for ten minutes.
Scoop put the chicken and rest on a rack.
Brush the chicken skins repeatedly with sesame seed oil.
Cover the chicken loosely with foil and leave to cool.

Rice

Strain the cooking liquid.
Rinse the rice, dump into the rice cooker, add three cups of strained cooking liquid and turn on the cooker.

Dipping sauce

Place the garlic, ginger, chili and scallions in a bowl.
Mix together the soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar, making sure the sugar is fully dissolved, pour over the spices and stir.
Drizzle in two tablespoons boiling water, stir and taste. If the flavors are still too sharp, add another two tablespoons of boiling water.

Assemble the dish

Transfer the chicken to a chopping board and cut through the bones into slices.
Arrange the chicken on one side of a plate, add a scoop of rice and a small bowl of dipping sauce on the other.
Optionally, garnish with cilantro, scallions and cucumber slices.