I woke up this morning craving chicken fat. Hainan chicken rice, to be more precise. Despite what it does to your waistline, there is nothing better.
Hainan chicken rice has been claimed by many countries as their national dish. The Singaporeans say the dish is “Uniquely Singapore,” while Malaysia claims the same. The Thais have their own version, served with a spicier chili dipping sauce, and the tiny nation of Brunei considers their version – called “nga choi gai” – their favorite comfort food. But what does the dish's namesake, Hainan, make of it? I went to the southern Chinese island to find out.
One step out of the Sanya airport and you already know Hainan has the perfect climate for chilis and room-temperature chicken. Most of the year is categorized as “sweltering.” I beelined it to the Teak Lounge at the Hilton for a gourmet version of Hainanese chicken rice. Pretentious, I know, but since I’m rarely on the island I figured I’d have it with a prettier presentation in a prettier setting.
Dick and I were served a nice white platter of chicken with all the sauces: sweet chili sambal, mashed-up ginger, and a dark syrupy soy sauce. It also came with the traditional bowl of chicken broth, though it had meat dumplings in it, which was new to me, as was the steamed meat bun that came on the side. Actually, I have seen dumplings served with the soup once before, at the Thai Curry House in Sheung Wan, which is a famous lunch spot for the fatty rice platter.
It was Dick’s first time having this dish, and after finishing the last grain of rice he turned to me and said, “Well, that was healthy.” Uh, no it wasn’t. It might look like white meat chicken cooked in broth with fluffy steamed rice, pickled vegetables and some clear consumme, but what makes this dish is the chicken fat. In the same way duck fat creates duck confit and pork fat delectifies any dish, chicken fat blesses Hainan chicken rice.
And chicken fat has many wonders beyond making foods heavenly. Recently, Tyson Foods, Smithfield Foods and Perdue Farms, the largest producers of chicken products, have established a renewable-energy division which plans to refine the substance to produce a new biodiesel fuel. I’m no prophet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the next eco-friendly trend to watch.