We ate lots of
Hainan Ji Fan when I was growing up. This poached chicken dish originates from Hainan, an island in China just south of the mainland where my grandparents are from. It's also a popular dish in Singapore and Malaysia, where my parents were born. And my mom continues to make it in her New York kitchen, where she taught it to me on a Mother's Day weekend visit. The best part is the rice. After the chicken is poached, the water essentially becomes chicken stock, and that liquid is used to infuse the rice, making it flavorful and rich. If you have homemade chicken stock on hand, substitute it for some of the water for more potent chicken flavor. The rice is also imbued with garlic and a hint of ginger.
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This is how Mom rolls. I don't have a problem with the head, but I have no use for it either.
So I bought the usual supermarket variety. |
The poached chicken may be too simple for those used to loud flavors, but soy sauce and hot sauce are served on the side and my dad always partook. He's always been proud of his Singapore-grown tolerance for heat, but by contrast I've only graduated to mild. Yes, I said graduated. Hainan Chicken Rice is also Singapore's national dish.
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| My parents, brother, paternal grandparents, and my twin sister and me. Once again, not sure which runt I am. |
One of my earliest memories includes this dish. I had peeled off some chicken skin -- which I love when roasted and crispy but not when poached and soft -- just as my mother often instructed me to because it's healthier that way. And my paternal grandmother, who was born a peasant in Hainan and was not into waste one bit, objected, pushing me to eat the skin. "Eat it! Go ahead, eat it!" she said, as my mother told me, "Don't do it! It's not good for you!" Whom to obey, mother or grandmother? I think it must have been my mother. Their reactions summed up their food philosophies, and the memory still makes me chuckle.
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| My twin sister with her daughter, Audrey, on Mother's Day weekend. |
And this time a new generation of the family was introduced to
Hainan Ji Fan. My 16-month-old niece, Audrey, was a big fan. I also decided she's now officially a Chinese lady. When she would act up, my mother would chide her, saying, "Aiya!" And Audrey, in a world-weary yet babyish voice, would sigh in echo, "Aiiyaaa!"
What are some of your quintessential family recipes?
