Quick &-Easy Hunan Chicken Rice

The Vietnamese have Tam ky chicken rice, which is similar to Chinese Hunan chicken rice. Most of the recipes for this type of meal use the free range chicken. However, I scaled down and created this recipe that is less complicated for people who are single and like to make it for themselves. I use a cornish hen, and the dish is easy to put together. This recipe is very healthy because the main spice ingredients are ginger and garlic. These spices are leading ways now for lowering high cholesterol and cleansing toxic wastes from the body.  All the ingredients are simple to find and most of them are already in your kitchen.
 
Ingredients:
1 cornish hen
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
6 cups water
1 carrot, cut into pieces
1 piece daikon
2 inch lengths of Kombu
1/2 white onion, chopped
For the rice:
1 cup basmati rice
Spices:
1 tbs chopped fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs fish sauce
Salt to taste
 
Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro

Directions:
Wash and drain hen and then rub in salt and pepper. Let marinate for and hour or even overnight.

In a pan, place marinated hen with 5 cups of water, kombu, carrot, daikon, and white onion. Bring to slow boil. Skim off the residue that rises to water’s surface until the water is clear (about 5 to 10 minutes). Cover and turn the heat off. Let hen cook in hot broth for 1 hour.

Wash and drain the rice. Heat 1 tbs of oil in a sauté pan. Add rice, ginger, and garlic; Stir and cook until the rice turns opaque.

Put the rice in a rice cooker. Use about 2 cups of the broth from the boiled hen into the rice. Add fish sauce and salt. Close the lid and turn the dial to the cook position.

Preparing to serve:
Cut hen into bite size pieces. 
Place cooked rice on a serving plate. Sprinkle with green onions and cilantro. Top with hen.
Serve with Vietnamese ginger dipping sauce* on the side.
Others vegetable can be served with this meal, such as cucumber, lettuce, and tomato.

 

*How to make ginger dipping sauce:
Equal of 2 tsp sugar, vinegar, fish sauce, and water
1 tsp minced ginger
Fresh hot chili
Tip: the carrot, kombu, daikon are to flavor the broth and chicken. Omit them if you do not have them in your pantry.