Hainanese Chicken Rice: Poached Chicken, Fragrant Rice, Three Sauces

Bring a large pot of water to a boil -- enough to submerge the chicken. Add the sliced ginger, knotted scallions, and salt. Lower the whole chicken into the boiling water. When it returns to a boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting to maintain a bare simmer (below 85 degrees C). Cook for 35-40 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a large bowl of ice water immediately. Submerge for 15 minutes to stop the cooking and set the skin. Reserve the poaching broth.

Fry the grated ginger and garlic in the chicken fat or oil for 1 minute. Add the rinsed rice and stir-fry for 2 minutes until each grain is coated. Transfer to a rice cooker or pot. Add 450ml of the warm poaching broth and cook the rice as normal.

Make the ginger-scallion sauce: heat 60ml of neutral oil until smoking. Pour over a bowl of grated ginger and sliced scallion. Season with salt. Stir.

Make the chili sauce: blend together the fresh red chilies, 2 garlic cloves, a 2cm knob of ginger, lime juice, and salt with 30ml of the poaching broth until smooth.

Remove the chicken from the ice bath and pat dry. Chop through the bones into serving pieces with a cleaver. Arrange on a plate. Serve with the fragrant rice, a bowl of warmed poaching broth, and the three dipping sauces.