Khao Man Gai (Thai Poached Chicken with Ginger Rice)

Method

1. 1
   • chicken thigh 800 g
   • fresh ginger 60 g
   • garlic 10
   • chicken stock 1½ l
   • spring onion 3
   • salt 1 tsp

   Set the chicken to poach — Put the chicken thighs into a pot just wide enough to hold them in one layer with the chicken stock, the sliced ginger, the crushed garlic, the green tops of the spring onions and the salt. Bring it barely to a simmer — a lazy bubble, never a boil — and skim off the grey foam that rises.

2. 2
   • lime juice 2 tbsp

   Shock the chicken, save the broth — Poach for 25 minutes, until the juices at the bone run clear. Lift the chicken straight into a bowl of very cold water for two minutes to stop the cooking and tighten the skin, then strain the broth and keep it hot.

   ⏱25 min
3. 3
   • fresh ginger 60 g
   • garlic 10
   • vegetable oil 1 tbsp

   Toast the rice in chicken fat — Skim two tablespoons of the yellow fat from the surface of the broth into a saucepan with the oil. Fry the grated ginger and half the minced garlic for a minute, then add the drained rice and stir for two minutes until every grain is glossy and smells nutty.

4. 4

   Cook the rice in broth — Pour in 620 ml of the hot broth, bring it to a boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes. Leave the lid on off the heat for a further 10 minutes before forking the grains apart — they should be separate and just short of soft.

   ⏱25 min
5. 5
   • fresh ginger 60 g
   • garlic 10
   • miso paste 2 tbsp
   • soy sauce 2 tbsp
   • rice vinegar 2 tbsp
   • fresh chilli 3
   • white sugar 1 tbsp
   • lime juice 2 tbsp

   Pound the chilli sauce — For the sauce, pound the chillies with the remaining minced garlic and a little of the grated ginger to a rough paste, then stir in the miso paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and lime juice. Loosen it with a spoonful of hot broth; it should taste hot, salty and sharp all at once.

6. 6
   • cucumber 1
   • spring onion 3
   • fresh cilantro 4 tbsp
   • soy sauce 2 tbsp

   Carve and plate — Slice the chicken off the bone in thick pieces. Mound the rice on warm plates, lay the chicken over it, tuck the cucumber alongside and shower with cilantro and the white parts of the spring onions. Serve with the sauce and a small bowl of the remaining hot broth.