Hainan(ish) Soy Poached Chicken

Put the chicken in a large pot and cover it with cold water or chicken stock. Cut the spring onions into chunks, bash the garlic and roughly chop the ginger, then add them to the pot with the soy sauce.

• 1 whole chicken
• water or stock
• 100g spring onions
• 5 garlic cloves
• 40g ginger
• 5 tbsp soy sauce

Bring to a rolling boil over a high heat, then take the pot off the heat straight away. Put the lid on and leave it for 1½ hours, while the heat of the water poaches the chicken.

Blend or whisk the sugar, rice vinegar, tahini and soy sauce until smooth, adding iced water a little at a time until creamy. Stir in the sesame seeds.

• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• iced water
• 1½ tsp toasted sesame seeds

Rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs almost clear. Put it in a saucepan with the salt, sugar, rice vinegar and the cooking liquid from the chicken pot.

• 130g sushi rice
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ tsp sugar
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 160ml chicken cooking liquid

Cover, bring to the boil, then cook on the lowest heat for 8 to 10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Take the pan off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes.

Thinly slice the cucumber and finely chop the spring onions. Lift out the chicken and carve or shred the meat.

• ½ cucumber
• 35g spring onions

Return the chicken to the broth and warm it over a medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes.

Divide the rice between bowls and top with the chicken, cucumber, spring onions and a few ladles of the broth. Finish with a spoonful of soy sauce and plenty of the sesame sauce.

• 1½ tbsp soy sauce