Julie Le Clerc: Hainanese-Style Chicken with Ginger Pickle

Ginger is the most versatile of spices - superb in baking and sensational with both meat and seafood.

1.4kg organic or free-range corn-fed chicken, jointed

5cm piece fresh root ginger, roughly sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp sea salt

400g long grain rice, washed to remove excess starch

1 Tbs sesame oil

1 red chilli, chopped

1⁄2 cup chopped coriander

3 spring onions, chopped


1. Place chicken, ginger, onion and salt in a large
saucepan and cover with 2 litres of cold water. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and simmer gently, covered for 40 minutes.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the chicken to finish cooking in the residual heat for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken and use 1 litre of the
stock to cook the rice. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Rub the sesame oil into the skin of the chicken.
Chop the chicken portions into pieces and arrange on top of some rice, sprinkle with chopped chilli, coriander and spring onion. Serve the ginger pickle on
the side. Serve the remaining stock in bowls as a soup. Serves 6.

* More of Julie Le Clerc's recipes are available in viva, part of your Herald print edition every Wednesday.