Lemongrass pandan chicken and rice

When the girls were in college, we visited for various reasons. Sam was studying Photography and Alex was in Technical Theater, so we went to see plays and attended exhibits. Because it was a two to three-hour drive, we’d leave the house early and, if traffic wasn’t so bad, we’d have an hour or so to relax before proceeding to the event.

One of our favorite ways to spend the waiting time was by having a meal at a restaurant just outside the school. The specialty? Lemongrass chicken. We loved the food, we ate three three or four times, but the music got louder each time until it wasn’t music anymore but just head-splitting noise, and we just stopped patronizing the establishment.

It’s been years but I still remember the food. The citrusy aroma that always filled the dining room, the delicious rice that was obviously cooked in the broth in which the chicken had been poached, and the broth that was served on the side. This is my version of the dish.

Prepping the chicken

Because the broth is such a crucial component of the dish, I make extra effort to minimize the formation of scum. I do this by rubbing the chicken vigorously with rock salt. The friction loosens impurities which can turn to scum if not removed. After salting the chicken leg quarters, I rinse them and pat them dry with paper towels.

Herbs

Lightly pounded lemongrass stalks are arranged at the bottom of a wok and the chicken leg quarters are placed over them. Freshly ground black pepper, knotted pandan leaves, scallions, kaffir lime leaves and cilantro are added.

Seasonings

Next, soy sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce are drizzled in. Then, boiling water is poured in. How much water? Enough to completely submerge the chicken.

Poaching and resting

The mixture is allowed to come to a gentle boil before the heat is turned to the lowest setting. The pan is covered tightly and the chicken leg quarters poach in the liquid for half an hour.

At the end of cooking time, I turn the chicken pieces over, replace the lid and leave the chicken to continue cooking in the residual heat for another ten minutes. Then, the chicken is scooped out and arranged on a rack. The skins are brushed with sesame oil before the chicken is covered loosely with foil and left to cool.

Rice

Once the chicken has been lifted out, the cooking liquid is strained. Rinsed rice is dumped into the rice cooker, enough cooking liquid is added and the rice is left to turn fluffy as the grains soak up the delicious broth.

Dipping sauce

While waiting for the chicken to cool and the rice to cook, the dipping sauce is prepped. Chopped garlic and ginger, sliced chili and scallions go into a bowl. There is no exact ratio to follow here, I personally prefer equal amounts of garlic and ginger, and twice or thrice as much scallions. We use bird’s eye chili at home, it is a very hot chili, so I stick with just one piece which I slice thinly.

Soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar are stirred together then poured over the spices. As with the spices, there is no right and wrong ratio for the seasonings. I start with equal amounts of soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar, but you can modify the ratio.

Boiling water is stirred in. It’s a must because, otherwise, the flavors of the dipping sauce are too sharp. How much boiling water? I start with a couple of tablespoons then taste the sauce. If it’s still too harsh in the mouth, I add a couple of tablespoons more.

Serving lemongrass pandan chicken

The cooled chicken is moved to a chopping board and, with a heavy knife, cut through the bone into slices and arranged on a plate. Rice, a small bowl of dipping sauce, cucumber slices, scallions and cilantro complete the meal.