Khao Man Gai

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1whole chicken, about 1.5 kg
• 3 litreswater
• 1thumb ginger, sliced
• 1 headof garlic, halved
• 3coriander roots, crushed
• 2 tspsalt
• 1 tspwhite peppercorns

Rice

• 500 gjasmine rice
• 3 tbspchicken fat, or oil
• 6garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1thumb ginger, finely chopped
• 2pandan leaves, knotted
• 1 tspsalt

Sauce

• 3 tbsptao jiao, fermented soybean paste
• 3 tbspfinely grated ginger
• 4garlic cloves, crushed
• 3red chillies, chopped
• 2 tbsplight soy sauce
• 2 tbsprice vinegar
• 1 tbsppalm sugar
• 2 tbspof the chicken broth

To serve

• sliced cucumber
• coriander
• a bowl of the poaching broth
• a slice of winter melon in the broth

Directions

1. Rinse the chicken and pull out any loose fat from the cavity. Keep that fat, since it is what the rice is cooked in. Bring the water to the boil in a pot that holds the chicken snugly. Add the ginger, garlic, coriander roots, salt and peppercorns.
2. Bring it back to a bare simmer and immediately reduce the heat. The water should barely move, with the occasional bubble. Poach it for about thirty-five minutes for a bird of this size. The juices should run clear with no pink. Turn off the heat and let it sit in the broth for ten more minutes. Lift the chicken out and plunge it into iced water.
3. Leave it there for ten minutes until it is cold to the touch. The sudden chilling sets the skin into a firm gelatinous layer. Lift it out of the water and let it drain. Rub the skin with a little of the chicken fat to make it glossy.
4. Rinse the jasmine rice until the water runs almost clear. Drain it thoroughly in a sieve. Add the chopped garlic and ginger to the hot fat. Fry them gently for three minutes until fragrant but not brown. Add the drained rice and stir it in the fat for two minutes. Every grain should be coated and slightly translucent.
5. Skim the fat off the broth before measuring it. Pour it over the rice and add the salt and knotted pandan leaves. Bring it to the boil, then cover and reduce to the lowest heat. Cook it for fifteen minutes without lifting the lid.
6. Take it off the heat and let it stand, covered, for ten minutes. Pound the garlic and chillies in a mortar to a rough paste. Add the grated ginger and pound it in. Stir in the fermented soybean paste. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, palm sugar and a little broth.
7. Stir until the sugar dissolves and taste it. It should be salty, sharp, hot and slightly sweet all at once. Adjust with more vinegar or sugar until it balances. Let it stand for twenty minutes so the flavours meet.
8. Strain the remaining poaching broth and skim the fat. Add slices of winter melon and simmer for ten minutes. Season it lightly and scatter chopped coriander over it. Now carving, which is done with the chicken cool.
9. Cut the chicken off the bone in thick slices, skin attached. Cut across the grain rather than along it. The meat should be served cool or barely warm, not hot. Mound the hot rice on one side of the plate. Lay the chicken slices over or beside the rice. Put cucumber slices along the edge. Serve the sauce in a small dish and the broth in a bowl alongside.

Technique

• Poach at a bare simmer, since boiling makes the meat stringy.
• The ice bath is what sets the skin, and skipping it flattens the whole dish.
• Cook the rice in the skimmed poaching broth, not in water.

Substitutions

• Chicken thighs in place of a whole bird, poached for twenty minutes.
• Miso thinned with soy, if tao jiao is unavailable.

Variations

• With fried chicken alongside the poached, sold as khao man gai tod.
• With the skin removed, which some stalls offer.
• With extra chilli in the sauce.

History

Poached chicken served over rice cooked in the chicken’s own fat and broth, accompanied by a dipping sauce made from fermented soybean, garlic, ginger and chili, documented across Thailand with roots tracing to Hainanese chicken rice, brought to Thailand through Chinese immigrants from Hainan island who settled across Southeast Asia over many generations. Its technique of cooking the rice directly in flavourful chicken fat and broth, rather than plain water, reflects that shared Hainanese culinary tradition found in closely related forms across Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam, each country having adapted the dish with its own specific seasoning and dipping sauce. Khao man gai remains one of Thailand’s most beloved and widely eaten everyday dishes.

Frequently asked questions

What is Khao Man Gai?

Khao Man Gai is a main from Thailand: poached chicken on garlic rice with fermented-bean ginger sauce. Poached chicken served over rice cooked in the chicken’s own fat and broth, accompanied by a dipping sauce made from fermented soybean, garlic, ginger and chili, documented across Thailand with roots tracing to Hainanese chicken rice, brought to Thailand through Chinese immigrants from Hainan island who settled across Southeast Asia over many generations. Its technique of cooking the rice directly in flavourful chicken fat and broth, rather than plain water, reflects that shared Hainanese culinary tradition found in closely related forms across Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam, each country having adapted the dish with its own specific seasoning and dipping sauce. Khao man gai remains one of Thailand’s most beloved and widely eaten everyday dishes.

How long does Khao Man Gai take to make?

Khao Man Gai takes 30 min of preparation and 1 hour of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Khao Man Gai?

Yes, within limits. Chicken thighs in place of a whole bird, poached for twenty minutes. Miso thinned with soy, if tao jiao is unavailable.

What is the most important thing to get right in Khao Man Gai?

Cut the chicken off the bone in thick slices, skin attached. Cut across the grain rather than along it. The meat should be served cool or barely warm, not hot. Mound the hot rice on one side of the plate. Lay the chicken slices over or beside the rice. Put cucumber slices along the edge. Serve the sauce in a small dish and the broth in a bowl alongside.