Thai-Style Boiled Chicken and Rice : Khao Man Gai (ข้าวมันไก่)

Thai-Style Boiled Chicken and Rice with ginger and fermented soybean sauce is one of the most popular Thai comfort food.  You also can find it in every corner of Thailand. In the mean time, the weather here is really cold and windy so it is about time to make this warm chicken and steamed rice with soybean and ginger sauce. Let's get cooking ka! 

Boiled Chicken and soup 

Ingredients: 

3 pounds whole chicken 

2 teaspoons salt  

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

1 tablespoon fish sauce 

12 cups water 

1 onion, cut into quarters 

1 carrot, sliced 

2 celery stalks, sliced 

3 sliced ginger 

a half of Napa cabbage, sliced or daikon radish or winter gourd 

a handful of cilantro stems or 3 roots

5 garlic cloves 

1 teaspoon whole white pepper

Cooked Rice 

3 cups jasmine rice, washed(I use brown rice)

3 cups chicken broth 

3 sliced ginger 

4 garlic cloves, chopped 

1 tablespoon canola oil 
pinch of salt 

Soybean and Ginger Sauce 

2 tablespoons fermented soybean paste 

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

1 tablespoon black sweet soy sauce 

3 tablespoons chopped ginger 

1 tablespoon chopped garlic 

1/2 teaspoon sugar 

3 tablespoons lime juice or white vinegar (I prefer lime juice) 

3 Thai chilies, chopped finely 

1 tablespoon warm water 

Accompaniments: 

cilantro leaves for garnish 

sliced cucumbers 

Directions 

To make cilantro paste:

use a pestle and mortar to pound all cilantro stems, whole white pepper, and garlic until smooth 

To make chicken and broth 

Bring 12 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add salt, cilantro paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, and whole chicken. You can add more water as needed to cover the chicken and then reduce the heat to simmer. The chicken is cooked about 30- 40 minutes depending on its size. Take boiled chicken out and let rest on the cutting broad and slicing it into pieces. 

To make steamed rice 

Heat a sauté pan in a medium heat, add canola oil and stir in chopped garlic until golden brown. Stir in ginger, 3 cups jasmine rice, pinch of salt and pepper. Then add rice into a rice cooker and pour 3 cups of chicken broth into it. Cook until rice is done. 

To make the soup 

In the pot, re-heat chicken broth and you can add more water to it. 

Add sliced Napa cabbage or your favorites and cook until tender. Add pinch of salt and pepper to taste. 

Finally to make soybean and ginger sauce

Combine chopped ginger, garlic, fermented soybean paste, black soy sauce, soy sauce, sugar, Thai chilies, lime juice and mix well. Check seasonings. 

To serve, place steamed rice on a plate, sliced chicken, sliced cucumbers, sauce, garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with a warm bowl of soup. Enjoy ka!  

Yummy!