Hainanese chicken rice
Hainanese chicken rice
Alternative namesHainan chicken, Chicken rice, Hainan Chicken Rice, Nasi Ayam, Khao man gai, Khao man kai
Region or stateRegions of Southeast Asia with Chinese populations[1][2][3]
Associated cuisineSingapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia
Main ingredientsChicken, chicken stock, chicken fat, rice
Food energy
(per serving)
670 kcal (2805 kJ)
Hainanese chicken rice
Traditional Chinese海南雞飯
Simplified Chinese海南鸡饭
Literal meaningHainan chicken rice

Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of poached chicken and seasoned rice, served with chilli sauce and usually with cucumber garnishes.[4] It was created by immigrants from Hainan in southern China and adapted from the Hainanese dish Wenchang chicken.

It is considered one of the national dishes of Singapore and is most commonly associated with Singaporean cuisine, being widely available in most food courts and hawker centres around the country. Variants of the dish can also be seen throughout Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysia and Thailand, where it remains a culinary staple.

History

Hainanese chicken rice is a dish adapted from early Chinese immigrants originally from Hainan province in southern China.[1] It is based on a well-known Hainanese dish called Wenchang chicken (文昌雞), which is one of four important Hainan dishes dating to the Qin dynasty.[5] The Hainanese in China traditionally used a specific breed, the Wenchang chicken, to make the dish.[1] They would usually cook rice with the leftover chicken stock to create a dish known as "Wenchang chicken rice".[6] The original dish was adapted by the Hainanese overseas Chinese population in the Nanyang area (present-day Southeast Asia).[7][8][9][10][11] Wenchang chicken rice remained a dish for special occasions in Hainanese homes in Singapore until the 1940s.[12]

Almost every country in Asia with a history of immigration from China has a version.[5] The San Francisco Chronicle says, "the dish maps 150 years’ immigration from China's Hainan Island...to Singapore and Malaysia, where the dish is often known as Hainan chicken rice; to Vietnam, where it is called "Hai Nam chicken"; and to Thailand, where it has been renamed "khao man gai" ("chicken fat rice")."[8][13]

In Singapore

In Singapore, the dish was born out of frugality, created by servant-class immigrants trying to stretch the flavour of the chicken.[14]

The first chicken rice restaurants opened in Singapore during Japanese occupation in World War II, when the British were forced out and their Hainanese servants lost their source of income. One of the first was Yet Con, which opened in the early 1940s.[14] There were also sources stating that Wang Yiyuan, a street hawker first started selling "chicken rice balls wrapped in banana leaves " in Singapore during the 1920s.[15][2] The dish was popularised in Singapore in the 1950s by Moh Lee Twee, whose Swee Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant operated from 1947 to 1997.[16] Hong Kong food critic Chua Lam credits Moh with the creation of the dish.[1]

Hainanese chicken rice is considered one of Singapore's national dishes.[13][7][11] It is eaten "everywhere, every day" in Singapore[11] and is a "ubiquitous sight in hawker centres across the country".[7] The chicken is typically served with seasoned rice, with chilli sauce and usually with cucumber garnishes.[17] While most commonly associated with Singaporean cuisine, the dish is also seen throughout Southeast Asia and in parts of the United States,[18][11] where the dish is named "Singapore chicken rice" in some places.[19] The dish is widely popular in Singapore and can be found in hawker centres, restaurants and hotels.[7]

In August 2021, Singapore's McDonald's launched a Hainanese Chicken burger which is significantly derived from the dish, in part of the country's celebration for National Day which falls on 9 August.[20]

Controversy over origin

In a debate that stretches back decades to 1965, when the two countries split, Malaysia and Singapore have both laid claim to inventing the dish.[21][22]

In 2009, then Malaysian Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen said that Hainanese chicken rice was "uniquely Malaysian" and had been "hijacked" by other countries.[23][24][25] Ng later clarified that she was misquoted on her intention to patent the foods, and that a study on the origins of the foods would be conducted "and an apology conveyed if it was wrongly claimed."[26]

In 2018, then Malaysian Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng joked that Singapore claimed "chicken rice is theirs (and) if we’re not careful, ‘char koay teow‘ will become theirs" one day.[21][22]

The debate has been described as an example of gastronationalism.[27]

Reception

Catherine Ling of CNN called Hainanese chicken rice one of the "40 Singapore foods we can't live without".[28] It was listed as one of the "World's 50 best foods" by CNN in 2018.[29] David Farley of the BBC called it "the dish worth the 15-hour flight" and said it was "deceptively simple – which is good, because on paper it sounds awfully boring."[14] Saveur called it "one of the most beloved culinary exports of Southeast Asia."[30]

Variations

Malaysia

'Chicken rice balls', a Malaysian variation of chicken rice, in Muar, Johor, Malaysia
Nasi ayam

In Malaysia, nasi ayam (literally "chicken rice" in Bahasa Melayu) is "a culinary staple"[31] and a popular street food, particularly in Ipoh, a center of Hainanese immigration.[32]

The general term nasi ayam can refer to multiple variations including roasted and fried chicken, can be served with a variety of sauces including barbecue, and can be accompanied by a variety of side dishes including steamed rice rather than seasoned 'oily' rice, soup, or chicken offal.[33]

In Malacca and Muar, the rice is served in balls rather than in bowls; this dish is commonly known as Chicken rice balls. Steamed rice is shaped into golf ball-sized orbs and served alongside the chopped chicken.[33][34]

Singapore

Hainanese chicken rice at Chatterbox, Meritus Mandarin Singapore

The chicken is prepared in accordance with traditional Hainanese methods, which involve poaching the entire chicken at sub-boiling temperatures to both cook the bird and produce the stock. The bird is dipped in ice after cooking to produce a jelly-like skin finishing and hung to dry.[14]

The stock is skimmed of fat and some of the fat and liquid, along with ginger, garlic, and pandan leaves, are used in the cooking of the rice, producing an oily, flavourful rice sometimes known as "oily rice".[14] In Singapore "the most important part of chicken rice is not the chicken, but the rice."[14]

The dish is served with a dipping sauce of freshly minced red chilli and garlic, usually accompanied with dark soy sauce and freshly ground ginger. Fresh cucumber boiled in the chicken broth and light soy sauce with a dash of sesame oil is served with the chicken, which is usually served at room temperature.[13][14] Some stalls may also serve nonya achar as an additional side.[15]

Thailand

Khao man kai, a Thai variation on Hainanese chicken rice

Hainanese chicken rice is a common dish in Thailand where it is called khao man kai (Thai: ข้าวมันไก่, pronounced [kʰâːw mān kàj]), literally meaning "chicken oily rice". The chickens used in Thailand for this dish are usually free range chickens of local breeds, resulting in a leaner and tastier texture; however, meat from chickens of large scale poultry farms is increasingly being used.[35] Khao man kai is served with a garnish of cucumbers and occasionally chicken blood tofu and fresh coriander, along with a bowl of nam sup, a clear chicken broth which often contains sliced daikon. The accompanying sauce is most often made with tauchu (also known as yellow soybean paste), thick soy sauce, chilli, ginger, garlic and vinegar.[36]

One famous Bangkok neighbourhood for Khao man kai is Pratunam in Ratchathewi district, located near to Platinum Fashion Mall, CentralWorld and Ratchaprasong Intersection.[37] A restaurant in Pratunam received Bib Gourmand awards from the 2018 Michelin Guide.[38] Khao man kai is also well known in other areas, including Bang Sue,[39] Yaowarat[40] and Phasi Charoen near Bang Wa BTS station and Phyathai 3 Hospital[41] including various places viz Thanon Tok near Rama III Bridge,[42] Thong Lor on Sukhumvit Road, Wat Suthiwararam School, Yan Nawa, Bang Kapi, Wat Saket and Saphan Kwai neighbourhoods.[43][44]

Vietnam

The dish is known as Cơm Gà Hải Nam in Vietnamese, and was common in South Vietnam prior to the Fall of Saigon.[45]

Cambodia

Cambodian Bay Moan

In Cambodia the dish is known as bay moan (បាយមាន់) in Khmer,[46] which translates to "chicken rice". An assortment of pickled vegetables is served alongside as a street food. Its origins can be traced back to the 17th century, where it is believed to have been introduced by Hokkien and Hainanese immigrants.[47]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hainanese chicken rice.
  1. 1 2 3 4 Lisa Cam (25 July 2018). "So, if Hainan chicken didn't come from Hainan, where is it from?". Archived from the original on 15 March 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Food Museum and Gallery: Who's the first Chicken Rice hawker in Singapore?". Makansutra. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2021. The food gallery offered an overview of ten dishes common and special to Singapore...the first person to bring chicken rice to Singapore. His name was Wang Yiyuan, and he started off selling chicken rice balls wrapped in banana leaves as an itinerant hawker in the 1920s, according to the gallery (National Museum of Singapore, 2014).
  3. ↑ "The Most Popular Malaysian Chinese Dishes and Its Origins". Convergence by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB). Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2021. Most sources will state that the chicken rice dish known as Hainanese Chicken Rice popular in Southeast Asia these days was created by Singaporeans, with some estimates going back to the 1920s. This is said to be the time when a certain Mr Wang Yiyuan had brought the dish from China and sold chicken rice balls from his hawker stall.
  4. ↑ "Hainanese Chicken Rice in Singapore". Visit Singapore Official Site. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  5. 1 2 O'Change, Hanji. "The Way Rice Should Be: Hainanese Chicken Rice". Free Press. Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  6. ↑ "海南文昌鸡饭,一起海南网". www.17uhn.com. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Chicken Rice". VisitSingapore.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Dipping sauce and a little controversy: who knew chicken rice had such 'wow' factor". SBS. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  9. ↑ Benton, G. A. "10 Best Restaurants of 2019: #4 Service Bar". Columbus Monthly. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  10. ↑ "A Brief History of Hainanese Chicken Rice, Singapore's National Dish". The Culture Trip. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Kugiya, Hugo. "Singapore's national dish: Hainan chicken rice". Crosscut. Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  12. ↑ "Hainanese Chicken Rice". www.sg101.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  13. 1 2 3 Kauffman, Jonathan (3 February 2016). "Hainanese chicken rice: Southeast Asia's ever-evolving comfort food". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Farley, David. "The Dish Worth the 15-Hour Flight". BBC. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  15. 1 2 Tan, Annette. "5 places for good chicken rice". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 7 November 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  16. ↑ Wang Zhenchun (王振春). Hua Shuo Hainan Ren (话说海南人): Mo Lu Rui Created The Mini Hainanese Chicken Rice Empire (莫履瑞创下海南鸡饭小王国). The Youth Book Co. Singapore. 2008. ISBN 978-981-08-1095-5. pp 82
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  18. ↑ Bittman, Mark (12 September 2008). "From a Chinese Island, a Chicken for Every Pot". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
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  20. ↑ Chia, Vianne (2 August 2021). "McDonald's launches new Hainanese Chicken burger for National Day". straitstimes.com. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  21. 1 2 Tan, Dylan. "Chicken rice war reignited as Lim Guan Eng urged Malaysia to give Singapore a run for its money". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  22. 1 2 Loh, Lainey. "Malaysia vs Singapore: Who has better food?". Asian Correspondent. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  23. ↑ Sukmaran, Tashny; Jaipragas, Bhavan (9 September 2018). "FOOD FIGHT, LAH: WHO WILL EAT THEIR WORDS IN SINGAPORE-MALAYSIA HAWKER BATTLE?". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  24. ↑ Celjo, Farah. "Dipping sauce and a little controversy: who knew chicken rice had such 'wow' factor". SBS. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  25. ↑ "The debate about the origins of food – a futile food fight?". Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
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  27. ↑ Chi, Janine (1 August 2014). "Consuming Rice, Branding the Nation". Contexts. 13 (3): 50–55. doi:10.1177/1536504214545761. ISSN 1536-5042. S2CID 61273719.
  28. ↑ Ling, Catherine. "40 Singapore foods we can't live without". CNN. Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  29. ↑ "The world's 50 best foods". CNN. 12 July 2017. Archived from the original on 11 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  30. ↑ Pang, Kevin (28 March 2016). "THE WORLD'S BEST CHICKEN COMES FROM HAINAN". Saveur. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  31. ↑ "Hainanese Chicken Rice". Epicurious. Conde Nast. 20 August 2004. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  32. ↑ Brehaut, Laura (19 September 2018). "Cook this: Hainanese chicken rice a Malaysian street-food classic". National Post. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  33. 1 2 "Chicken Rice". Malaysia Travel. Archived from the original on 20 October 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
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  35. ↑ moonlightkz (20 December 2019). "ข้าวมันไก่ แต่ละแบบ แตกต่างกันอย่างไร" [What's the difference between each chicken rice]. THAIWARE (in Thai). Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  36. ↑ "How to Make Khao Man Gai ข้าวมันไก่: Thai Version of Hainanese Chicken and Rice". She Simmers: Thai Home Cooking. 9 June 2009. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  37. ↑ "Kaiton, Pratunam – Cheap, Good, Possibly the Best Khao Mun Kai in Bangkok". Sparklette. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  38. ↑ "Go-Ang Kaomunkai Pratunam (Pratunam)". Michelin Guide. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
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  40. ↑ ""ไท้เฮง" ตำรับไหหลำ อร่อยอย่างเหลาที่เยาวราช". Manager Daily (in Thai). 30 January 2011. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
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  42. ↑ "Check in ถิ่นสยาม ถนนตก ทำไมจึงชื่อถนนตก แล้วถนนตกนี้จะไปตกที่ไหน". Matichon (in Thai). 6 July 2015. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  43. ↑ "01: พันธนาการแห่งข้าวมันไก่". minimore (in Thai). 24 July 2015. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  44. ↑ สริตา (22 May 2011). "###(CR)ข้าวมันไก่เจ๊ยี ตรงข้ามวัดสระเกศ###". Pantip.com (in Thai). Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  45. ↑ "From Hainan to Saigon: How Hainanese chicken took flight". 20 October 2021.
  46. ↑ "Vietnamese chicken and rice". 10 January 2019.
  47. ↑ Sochieata, Roth. "Chicken Rice Sen Sok takes pride in simplicity". phnompenhpost.com. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  48. ↑ "ใครเกิดทัน "เจมส์ ข้าวมันไก่" บ้าง ?" [Who was born in time for "James, Khao man kai" ?]. Kapook.com (in Thai). 8 December 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  49. ↑ Lee, Regina (September 2016), "RICE RHAPSODY — FOOD AND SEXUALITY IN THE SINGAPORE VILLAGE", The Village and Its Discontents, WORLD SCIENTIFIC, pp. 111–126, doi:10.1142/9789813140073_0006, ISBN 978-981-314-006-6, retrieved 23 September 2023
  50. ↑ "CHICKEN RICE WAR". www.fareastfilm.com (in Italian). Retrieved 23 September 2023.
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