Malaysian Basmati Chicken Rice
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, cut into 4 pieces (do not remove skin)
- 5 cloves garlic (for boiling)
- Ginger, size of a thumb, roughly pounded (for boiling)
- Water (enough to submerge chicken)
Marinade mixture
- 6 cloves garlic, finely ground
- Ginger, size of a thumb, finely ground
- 3 tablespoons salty soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons honey (optional)
Rice base
- 4 cups basmati rice (or Pusa Gold Jasmine)
- 3 cups chicken stock from boiling
- 2.5 cups water
- 0.5 cup evaporated milk
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3-4 star anise
- 0.5 scoop ghee or margarine
- 0.5 scoop cooking oil
- Knotted pandan leaf (optional)
- Optional: turmeric powder for color
Rice spice paste
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 large onion
- Ginger, size of a thumb
- Water (for blending, small amount)
Chili sauce blend
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3 large red chilies
- 15 bird's eye chilies
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
Preparation
Boil the chicken with garlic and ginger in water until fully cooked, ensuring the chicken is submerged.
Drain the chicken and save the boiling liquid for cooking rice, soup, or sauce.
Marinate the chicken with the finely ground garlic and ginger mixture, salty soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, oyster sauce, and honey for 15-20 minutes, and do not discard the marinating liquid as it will be used for sauce.
Fry the marinated chicken in plenty of oil for a short time, about 2 minutes per side, until browned, as the chicken is already cooked.
For the rice, heat ghee and cooking oil in a pot over the stove, add star anise, then add the blended spice paste and stir until fragrant.
Add evaporated milk and bring to a boil, then add rice, chicken stock, water, and salt.
Transfer the mixture to a rice cooker, press cook until the rice is fully done, and when the button pops up, press it again.
After cooking, fluff the rice with a spoon.
Blend all the chili sauce ingredients together to make the sauce.
Tips
Save the chicken boiling liquid for multiple uses like cooking rice or making additional sauces.
Do not fry the chicken for too long since it is already cooked from boiling.
The marinating liquid can be used to make a sauce, so keep it.
Pandan leaf and turmeric are optional and can be added for extra flavor and color.
Honey in the marinade is optional and can be omitted if not available.
