A veganised version of Hainanese “Chicken” Rice made with tofu or vegan chick’n chunks! This is paired with the 3 sauces (all non-negotiable!) – ginger sauce, chili sauce, and sweet soy sauce.
WHAT IS HAINANESE CHICKEN?
It’s traditionally a dish of poached chicken and rice adapted from Chinese cuisine. It’s most common in Singaporean cuisine and also common in other Southeast Asian cuisines such as Malaysian cuisine.
The best Hainanese chicken I’ve tried was in a humble hawker centre in Singapore. It was a humid day and my family’s Singaporean friends took us out to eat at a local hawker centre for lunch. Each stall had a specialty dish that they’ve mastered over the years, generations even, that they served.
There’s something I love about the simplicity of Hainanese chicken rice and it’s also this simplicity when paired with an aromatic and super tasty rice, cucumber, fresh coriander, and sauces that takes it to a whole new level.
Personally, the star of the show for me is the rice, that’s cooked in an aromatic broth with ginger, green onions or scallions, and garlic.
THIS VEGAN VERSION
2 protein options: (1) vegan ‘chick’n’ chunks OR (2) extra firm tofu
Of course this vegan version uses a different protein alternative to chicken. I’ve used both vegan chicken chunks (from the brand Heura) and extra firm tofu, that when frozen overnight yields this meatier texture.
The skin is made with yuba or tofu skin, which we also called ‘tao pe’ or dried bean curd skin in the Philippines. I use this to wrap the chick’n/tofu because the colour is very similar to poached chicken and also mimics the look of chicken skin. It also adds that nice texture to pair with the chick’n/tofu.
THE SAUCES
Okay so these 3 sauces are what bring this dish to a whole new level and each one offers a distinct flavour profile. Personally, these 3 are non-negotiable. I love to scoops a little bit of each to enjoy with a scoop of rice and chicken.
These sauces can be easily made beforehand and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Do note that the ginger sauce and chilli sauce can solidify due to the oil.
From left to right: sweet soy sauce, chili sauce, ginger sauce.
FLAVOUR PROFILES
Sweet soy sauce – if you’ve tried kecap manis, this is very similar. So you can opt to use store-bought kecap manis if you have some.
Chili sauce – packs a lot of heat but the flavour from the fresh chiles and garlic with a hint of acidity really takes this up a notch!
Ginger sauce – aromatic grated ginger cooked down in salted oil.
What if I can’t handle spice?
You can skip the chili sauce or have a more subtle chili sauce substitute. The ginger sauce and sweet soy sauce together is already super good (at least in my opinion!)
PREPARING THE SAUCES
- For the chili sauce, crush the chiles with a mortar and pestle. Add in the rest of the ingredients and feel free to adjust to your taste.
- For the ginger sauce, heat the oil in a small sauce pan over medium. Once hot, add the salt and let it dissolve. Add in the ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes until aromatic. Mix in the garlic and turn off the heat. Feel free to add more salt, to taste, if desired.
- For the sweet soy sauce, cook down the soy sauce and sugar in the saucepan until it starts to thicken from the sugar. Turn off the heat.
EXTRA FIRM TOFU FOR THE ‘CHICKEN’
TOFU/BEAN CURD SKIN OR YUBA
Where to buy tofu skin? You can check your local asian grocery or store. You can also check online.
- I buy my tofu or beancurd skin dry.
- You can also get frozen yuba or tofu/bean curd skin from the freezer section of Asian stores/groceries.
MAKING THE ‘CHICK’N’ FILLETS
- Rehydrate the dried tofu skin by soaking it in a plate of warm water. (If you’re using fresh tofu skin, you can skip this step.)
- Place two sheets over each other on a flat surface.
- Place some of the chick’n chunks or a slab of the tofu on the centre of the tofu sheet. Fold the bottom part of the sheet towards the centre. Fold the left and right sheets towards the centre as well. Flip over the “chicken” until you have a rectangular piece. You may need to seal the top most edge with some water.
- Place 1 additional sheet and wrap the finished piece. Wrapping this helps secure it to make sure these don’t open when cooking.
- Repeat this for the rest until you have 2-3 “chicken fillets”. Set aside.
IF USING CHICK’N CHUNKS:
COOKING THE HAINANESE CHICK’N
COOKING THE RICE
- Meanwhile, prepare the chick’n rice.
- Wash your rice 2-3 times.Heat a medium sized pot (with a lid) over medium. Add some oil and then sauté the garlic until aromatic.
- Pour in the rice and then add the ginger-scallion broth (used for cooking the fillets earlier).
- You can include a few of the scallions and ginger, if desired. Cover then leave the rice to come to a boil at medium to medium high heat. Once it comesLto a boil, leave the rice to cook at medium low heat at a gentle simmer.
- Keep it covered throughout. Leave to cook for around 25 minutes or until the rice is fluffy and cooked. Turn off the heat and leave covered. This will allow the residual heat to continue to cook the rice.
SERVE AND ENJOY YOUR HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE
Slice the fillets into strips. Serve with the rice, sauces, sliced cucumber, and fresh coriander. Enjoy!
OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
- Pad Thai
- Cha Gio Chay (Vietnamese Fried Vegetarian Spring Rolls)
- Thai Tom Yum Soup
- Mie Goreng (Indonesian Fried Noodles)
- Bun Cha Gio Chay (Vietnamese Noodles and Fried Vegetarian Spring Rolls Bowls)
- Chinese Sweet and Sour “Pork”
- Crispy Wontons
- Vegetable Dumplings
Hainanese “Chicken” Rice (Vegan)
Ingredients
Preparing the Tofu
- 17.5 oz extra firm tofu , sliced in 3 slabs OR chick’n chunks (see notes)
- 1/2 cup vegan chick’n broth or vegetable broth (see notes)
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine or other rice wine , optional
- Pinch of salt for each slab , skip if your broth is already salty
“Chick’n”
- 6-9 sheets tofu or bean curd skin , also known as "tao pe" or yuba for the “skin” (see notes)
- 4 thin slices ginger
- 1 scallion or green onion , sliced
- 2.5 cups water or vegetable broth
- Salt to taste , if needed (see notes)
Rice
- 1 cup medium grain white rice
- 1/4 tsp salt see notes
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups ginger-scallion broth
Ginger Sauce
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped or grated ginger
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Pinch of salt or to taste
Chili Sauce
- 4-5 small bird’s eye chili or siling labuyo
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1-1 1/2 tbsp broth or water adjust to desired consistency
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tbsp grated ginger
- Pinch salt
- Pinch sugar
Sweet Soy Sauce (see notes)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 3-4 tbsp packed brown sugar adjust according to desired sweetness
To Serve
- Chopped scallions or fresh coriander/cilantro for topping, optional
- Thinly sliced cucumber
Instructions
PREPARING THE TOFU
- Slice your block or blocks of tofu into 3/4 to 1-inch thick slabs. Place them on a tray and then leave to freeze at least overnight to harden. No need to press the tofu or squeeze out the liquid before freezing (because you’ll want the water inside the tofu to crystallise and create the amazing texture!)
- After freezing the tofu, leave it to thaw in room temperature until the ice has melted.
- When soft, carefully squeeze out the water from the tofu. I did this by carefully placing a slab of tofu between my palms and flattening it to squeeze out the liquid. The tofu will be very delicate at this point so be careful not to over squeeze it since it can easily break apart. Squeeze out the liquid from the remaining tofu.
- In a deep plate or bowl, add the veg broth/chick’n broth and shoaxing wine or other rice wine (if using). Add the slabs of thawed tofu and rub some salt on each side of the tofu. Do note that if your broth is already salty, you can skip the salt! Leave the tofu to soak for 10-15 minutes.
TOFU SKIN
- You can see the step-by-step photos above.
- Meanwhile, rehydrate the dried tofu skin by soaking it in a plate of warm water. (If you’re using fresh tofu skin, you can skip this step.)
- Place two sheets over each other on a flat surface.
- Place some of the chick’n chunks or a slab of the tofu on the centre of the tofu sheet. Fold the bottom part of the sheet towards the centre. Fold the left and right sheets towards the centre as well. Flip over the “chicken” until you have a rectangular piece. You may need to seal the top most edge with some water.
- Place 1 additional sheet and wrap the finished piece. Wrapping this helps secure it to make sure these don’t open when cooking.
- Repeat this for the rest until you have 2-3 “chicken fillets”. Set aside.
COOKING THE CHICK'N
- Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add in the ginger, sliced scallions, water, and salt (if using).Leave to simmer until it comes to a boil. Once it boils, add in the “chicken fillets” and then cover the pan to cool through.The tofu skin will turn from a yellow to a much paler colour, similar to the colour of boiled chicken. Once the tofu skin is a pale colour throughout and is soft, turn off the heat.
- Carefully remove the fillets from the broth and set aside.
FOR THE RICE
- Meanwhile, prepare the chick'n rice.Wash your rice 2-3 times.Heat a medium sized pot (with a lid) over medium. Add some oil and then sauté the garlic until aromatic. Pour in the rice and then add the ginger-scallion broth (used for cooking the fillets earlier).You can include a few of the scallions and ginger, if desired. Cover then leave the rice to come to a boil at medium to medium high heat. Once it comesLto a boil, leave the rice to cook at medium low heat at a gentle simmer. Keep it covered throughout. Leave to cook for around 25 minutes or until the rice is fluffy and cooked. Turn off the heat and leave covered. This will allow the residual heat to continue to cook the rice.
SAUCES
- Prepare the sauces. Note: These sauces can be easily made beforehand and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Do note that the ginger sauce and chilli sauce can solidify due to the oil.
- For the chili sauce, crush the chiles with a mortar and pestle. Add in the rest of the ingredients and feel free to adjust to your taste.
- For the ginger sauce, heat the oil in a small sauce pan over medium. Once hot, add the salt and let it dissolve. Add in the ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes until aromatic. Mix in the garlic and turn off the heat. Feel free to add more salt, to taste, if desired.
- For the sweet soy sauce, cook down the soy sauce and sugar in the saucepan until it starts to thicken from the sugar. Turn off the heat.
ASSEMBLY
- Slice the fillets into strips. Serve with the rice, sauces, sliced cucumber, and fresh coriander. Enjoy!
Notes
Chick’n Broth/Vegetable Broth
I used 1 vegan not chick’n cube from Edward and Sons and diluted this in hot water.If using chick’n chunks
- Place half of the chunks on the centre of the sheet. Fold the bottom part of the sheet towards the centre. Fold the left and right sheets towards the centre as well. Flip over the “chicken” until you have a rectangular piece. You may need to seal the top most edge with some water.
Sweet soy sauce
- If you’ve tried kecap manis, this is very similar. So you can opt to use store-bought kecap manis if you have some.
Tofu Skin
- I buy my tofu or beancurd skin dry.
- Where to buy tofu skin? You can check your local asian grocery or store. You can also check online.
- You can also get frozen yuba or tofu/bean curd skin from the freezer section of Asian stores/groceries.
Broth/Water to Cook the Chick’n In
- You can use water or vegetable broth to cook the ‘chick’n’ pieces in. If using broth, you can skip the salt.
- Some dried tofu skin are also salted so this will naturally release the salt in the liquid when cooking.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
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This Post Has 2 Comments
This was pretty easy to make although my tofu skin fell apart when rehydrated, I managed to wrap the tofu but it looked messy. It tasted great though, the rice was so tasty and I agree the sauces are a must. I made the ginger sauce (yum) but used kecap manis and sriracha for the other two. I would make this again but will try another brand of tofu skin.
Hi Pauline, thanks so much for giving it a ty and appreciate the feedback! Some tofu skin are a lot thinner and more fragile than some unfortunately. Had a similar problem with one brand I used and it fell apart so I just had to eat the tofu and the skin separately! Haha