Make the best rice of Hainanese chicken rice: 15 flavour tests for 1 recipe

00:00 Motivation
00:41 Which ingredient is the most important?
01:43 Best liquid to cook with the rice
03:12 What makes chicken rice tasty?
04:16 Which is the most important aromatics?
04:49 Shallots analysis
05:05 Ginger analysis
06:21 Balance of flavours
07:10 Garlic analysis
07:41 How much weight of each aromatic to use?
08:21 Bonus ingredients: pandan & lemongrass
10:00 Is chicken oil really necessary for chicken rice?
11:37 How much salt to use?
12:30 Which tool to process the aromatics?
13:27 Is stir frying the aromatics necessary?
14:46 TLDW: Too Long Didnt Watch summary
Ingredients (see Note 1)
20% Shallots
20% Old ginger (see Note 2)
5% Garlic
80g Rice per serving (Basmati rice or other long grain rice recommended)
2% Salt
1% Chicken oil
200% Chicken stock (chicken bones simmered in 1:2 water for 24 hours)
5% pandan leaves or lemongrass stalks (optional, see Note 3)
Method
Rinse the rice. Peel shallots, ginger, garlic (aromatics).
Mortar pestle method (for small batch only, see Note 4): pound each piece of aromatics at a time. Add the salt, and continue pounding until mushy.
Blender method (for small/large batch): Blend the shallots, ginger, garlic with the chicken stock, then strain to separate the aromatics.
Stove top method: Stir fry the aromatics in chicken oil lightly without browning. Add the drained rice and the chicken stock. Optional: add pandan leaves or lemongrass stalks. Then, cover and bring stock to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium for firmer rice or low for softer rice. Once the stock has almost evaporated (visible plump rice grains), stir the rice to mix the aromatics bits into the rice, and cover to continue steaming until almost no liquid left at the bottom. Serve warm.
Rice cooker method: add aromatics, stock, rice into rice cooker, close and set to cook. When done, open to fluff the rice and mix in the aromatics bits into the rice. Serve warm.
Note 1: Recommended range is 5% of each aromatics for a light taste, and up to 20% of each aromatics for strong taste. eg. 80g raw rice, 4g garlic, 16g shallots, 16g ginger.
Note 2: When using the young or old ginger, recommended limit is 20% per 100% rice. It leaves a warm fuzzy feeling after eating the rice. Going above 20% will make the rice too spicy, almost like eating raw ginger. If blue ginger is not available, you can increase the old ginger alittle more from 10% onwards but don’t go above 20%.
Note 3: When using lemongrass and pandan flavours, be careful not to use too much as it will impart a bitter flavour if used too much. I only used about 5% each per 100% rice and it imparts a light fragrance already without any bitterness.
Note 4: When making a large batch of rice (400g+ raw rice onwards or 80g raw rice per person), it might not be feasible to use a mortar pestle to smash the ingredients anymore as it will result in chunky aromatics, so have to use the blender method.

[@DosED07]

Отличный разбор, братан. Делаю такой рис, но не с имберем, а с зеленым горошком.

[@richnwan9854]

Great content, and I'm glad KZbin recommended your video. Subscribed!

[@mariomuttnik]

Your channel is seriously underrated. You make such high-quality videos!

[@theanalyticalcook]

thank you for your encouraging comment

[@tanetalz]

Good job!

[@luckyhartanto1795]

cool

[@timyuen8985]

Keep up the great work with the deep dives. Fantastic videos!

[@user-bs6mo3qq6i]

i like your approach, clear method to arrive to the final conclusion will try sometime soon. Thanks for info.

[@theanalyticalcook]

hope you like it, let me know if you run into any problems.

[@creamyhorror]

Good idea for a video, reminds me of Ethan Chlebowski. Tons of effort too. Btw, "mush" is pronounced "muhsh", not "moosh".

[@theanalyticalcook]

Thank you for the tip, I did take some inspiration from Ethan's enduring curiosity to understand food better

[@rug61]

I think using the post-chicken poaching stock is the way to go. It has a fresh, clear flavor that tastes unique compared to a 24-hour broth. Just reduce the poaching liquid, use dried mushrooms, and season to taste with salt/rice wine

[@theanalyticalcook]

Sounds good for a lighter palate as the poaching liquid has a clear taste coming from the chicken skin (which was in contact with the water) and maybe a little bit of the cavity bones.

[@giselaserrano526]

Hello 👋 greetings 👋 nice video 👌👌👌 New subscriber here. ✅✅☺️

[@theanalyticalcook]

hello thanks for dropping by

[@jarredagimudie3648]

Unreal video

[@jacquelyn8050]

Why basmati rice is use in Hainanise chicken rice in the first place? my Hainanise great grandma never use basmati rice.

[@theanalyticalcook]

We use basmati rice for lower GI compared to jasmine rice for healthier choice (reduce blood sugar spike after eating). Basmati rice may be firmer than jasmine rice, but it will soften more if steamed a little longer. They both taste about the same.

[@idaeinjaw2139]

please double blind your taste tests.

[@theanalyticalcook]

my personal view is the taste of food should include how it looks. thanks for the suggestion