Thai Foods Ep.9

Hainanese Chicken Rice (kao mun gai)

by Thomas M. Tillman
Hainanese chicken rice of "kao mun gai" is a popular street food, not only in Thailand, but all over Southeast Asia! This dish will amaze you how good "chicken and rice" can be. This recipe is the traditional method that poaches a whole chicken; for a weeknight.

INGREDIENTS

The Chicken

  • 1 whole chicken
  • 2 Cilantro roots, or 6 cilantro stems
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • Half an onion, rough chopped
  • ½ tsp white peppercorns, crushed
  • 2 slices ginger
  • 1-2 Tbsp salt

The Rice

  • 2 cups rice, uncooked
  • 2 ⅔ - 3 cups chicken stock, from cooking chicken
  • 2 Tbsp chopped garlic

Sauce 1: The Classic Dipping Sauce (Nam Jim Tao Jiew)

  • 2 Tbsp Finely chopped ginger
  • 2 Thai chilies
  • 3 Tbsp Tao Jiew (Thai fermented soybean paste)
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1-2 Tbsp black soy sauce, see note 1
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp vinegar

Sauce 2: Spicy & Sour Dipping Sauce (Nam Jim Hai Lam)

  • 2 Tbsp finely chopped ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 Thai chilies
  • 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro stems
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tsp sugar, see note 2

NOTES

  1. I've noticed that black soy sauce varies greatly depending on the brand so start out with 1 Tbsp and go from there. If you're substituting "dark soy sauce" for this, use only 1 Tbsp and reduce the amount of regular soy sauce by ½ Tbsp.
  2. In the video I didn't add sugar because if you're using both sauces together like I usually do, it doesn't really need it. But if you will use it on its own, it needs a the sweetness to balance.