Fragrant Chicken Rice - V1

a part of the hainan chicken series

12 ingredients•Prep: 20 mins•Cook: 30 mins

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hwoo.lee•

April 29, 2026

My partner, Kathryn Tan, has been a guiding light in my Cantonese food journey. Why? Her mom used to own a Cantonese Restaurant, so I've spent a lot of time learning from both of them. Okay why am I bringing this up?

They taught me a word in Cantonese, 香味 (hoeng1 mei6), which translates to 'fragrant taste'. This word is used when the flavor is as good as the aroma.

Have you had food that smells absolutely intoxicating, but when you take a bite... it's just flat. That is a food that lacks 香味. A great chef knows how to beautifully present food that has both fragrance and flavor. Remember: we eat with our eyes, then our nose, then our mouth.

Similarly to my Hainanese Chicken Rice Recipe, I want to say: This recipe is far from perfect

This is called 'Version 1.0' because I plan to continue making Hainan Chicken Rice until I perfect it, you can see all of my R&D trials here.

What is a Perfect Fragrant Chicken Rice?

To me, Fragrant Chicken Rice should have these qualities:

Every rice grain should be tender and fluffy. No mushy clumps, no dryness. There should be a slight sheen of chicken fat that separates each grain.
The rice should smell of chicken, ginger, garlic, pandan — it should smell intoxicating.
The rice needs tastes as good as it smells (香味) — I should be able eat just the whole bowl of rice while tasting chicken, ginger, garlic, pandan.

But I could honestly just condense these to just 香味.

What is the Best Rice?

Most recipes recommend Jasmine Rice.

It has a floral fragrance that complements the chicken-ginger-garlic flavor. I have been using AC Brand's 'Super Grade' Long Grain Jasmine Rice (Gao Nang Thom) from Thailand. If you live in Los Angeles, I have been picking this up from Silom Supermarket.

I have seen people use Basmati Rice. I have also used Japanese Short Grain Rice myself (and lowkey I loved it). Feel free to use what you prefer.

What is the Best Cooking Method?

I will need to do more experimentation on cooking methods, but I've had a lot of success with the Made In 3QT Saucier. I am sure you could do it in a rice cooker, but I find the stove-top method to be faster (and more hands-on).

What's your Fragrant Chicken Rice Ratio?

Ratios are more practical to remember than recipes. For this recipe the % expressed by the weight of the main ingredient, Jasmine Rice:

100% | Jasmine Rice (Dry Weight)
121.2% | Hainan Master Stock
18.2% | Shallot
7.6% | Ginger
7.6% | Galangal
7.6% | Garlic
1.8% | Salt
10.6% | Chicken Fat

These percentages can be rounded up/down, doing 8% ginger and 120% stock will make a marginal difference. I just calculated the exact percentages based off my recipe.

_____________________

More trials and experimentation to come!

- h

Items and equipment

Mortar & Pestle

Food Processor

Ingredients (12)

Aromatics

Shallot(60 g, finely chopped, pulsed, or ground)
Ginger(25 g, finely chopped, pulsed, or ground)
Galangal(25 g, finely chopped, pulsed, or ground)
sub - more ginger
Garlic(25 g, finely chopped, pulsed, or ground)
Salt(6 g)
Chicken Fat(35 g)
sub - the residual fat on top of a cooled chicken stock
Pandan Leaves(2 leaves)
tied in a knot
Cilantro root(1 piece)
tied within the pandan leaf

Instructions

Prep Rice and Stock

Rinse jasmine rice (330 g) 2-3x in cold water to remove starch. Allow to drain in a strainer until ready to use.
You don't need to wash jasmine rice as much as short grain.
In a separate pot, bring the Hainan Master Stock (400 mL) to a low simmer.
Optional - but I prefer to use hot liquid instead of cold liquid to cook my rice here

Prep Aromats

A Mortar & Pestle would be the best method for grinding up all the aromatics. However, I could not be bothered, so the next best tool is a standard food processor for me. Make sure the shallot (60 g), ginger (25 g), galangal (25 g), and garlic (25 g) are processed finely and uniformly.
In a sauté pan over med-heat, add the chicken fat (35 g) and allow to disperse. Then add shallot (60 g), ginger (25 g), galangal (25 g), garlic (25 g), and salt (6 g) and stir frequently.
Sauté on med-heat until the aromatics look like they are about to brown, about 3-5 minutes.
I prefer my aromatics cooked long enough till most of the water content is gone, almost as if they are fried. This is my personal preference

Cook Fragrant Chicken Rice

Add washed jasmine rice (330 g) to sauté pan, tossing to coat every grain in the aromatic fat. Take about 30s to 60s
Add the warm Hainan Master Stock (400 mL) to the rice. Gentle shake the pan to level out the rice (so it's flat)
Once the stock is at a simmer, add the pandan leaves (2 leaves) and cilantro root (1 piece) on top, then close with a lid.