Chicken Long Rice

Based loosely upon a dish of Chinese origin, the flavor of chicken long rice can take some getting used to.  The slippery long rice noodles, ginger and green onions give this dish an Asian flair, making this dish an interesting, and usually popular, one at lu'aus.  Although many different ingredients may be added to enhance the flavor of this dish, l like to keep the taste pure and simple.

Chicken long rice (serves two)

One bundle long rice (about one-two ounces)
1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken broth*
1 chicken thigh, boiled, deboned and shredded
1 1/2" length of ginger, sliced and smashed
2 stalks green onion, chopped

**NOTE**

• I normally use low-sodium chicken broth.  The amount of broth used depends on the amount of noodles used.  Ideally, this should not be like soup, but there should be just enough broth to allow the noodles to "float".
• If desired, you can use other vegetables in this dish such as shiitake mushrooms, carrots, celery and onions.
• If a large portion of chicken long rice is being made, use mini drumettes for an interesting presentation.  I also find mini drumettes to be more flavorful.
• Dish may also be seasoned with salt, white pepper and/or shoyu.

Soak long rice for 45 minutes in warm water.  Drain long rice, rinse well, then cut into short strands.

Add chicken broth, ginger and chicken to a pot, then bring to a boil.  Turn down to simmer and add long rice.  Simmer for approximately 10 minutes, or until noodles are done (they should turn transparent).

Remove from heat, transfer to serving bowls and garnish with chopped green onions.

To be continued...

Comments

[Jo]

Now THIS is a recipe I've been wanting for a while! I think Dee will love this stuff. By the by, did you remove the "Recent Comments" list on purpose? It's been gone for awhile now and I was wondering if it happened on purpose or if it was a TypePad oddity.

[Moira]

Hey Reid...another yummy recipe that's gone straight to the big list. Greeeaaaat comfort food!

[Kirk]

Nice recipe, Reid. Chicken Long Rice seems to be one of those dishes that gets forgotten. I do enjoy shiitake in mines. I always end up making this with my left-over chicken carcasses.

[RONW]

Chicken Long Rice is the unleavened bread of the noodle dishes, and in that humble way, lies it's real value. I agree with Kirk about including slivers of shiitake mushrooms into the noodles.

[Clinton]

Reid,
Every now and then I'll make a pot of chicken long rice since it's so easy to make. My recipe varies just a little from yours since I will dice up a half an onion and also add a bit of whiskey for added flavor. Otherwise, it's a great comfort dish for a cold day.

[Kawena]

WHISKEY?! That's a new one on me. Clinton, I thought perhaps you'd be putting in sake. Oh, I get it...not just a comfort food on a chilly day but more like a "Chicken Toddy." Yum *I think?*

[Keri]

mmm....Hello Reid! Have been browsing your blog for a little and...everytime I come by, I become hungry! =) Chicken long rice has been a favorite of mine forever. Glad to have someone else share in my love for this dish!

[Jo]

I'm with the shitake crowd for sure. I would use dried over fresh and use the soaking juice for part of the "broth".

Clinton! Expound on the whiskey would you? What type, how much, at what point, what does it contribute? Very interesting component. I use brandy in beef stroganoff, so the notion of liquor in a savory dish isn't completely foreign...

[Clinton]

My grandmother used to use whiskey in certain dishes she made especially when ginger was as part of the ingredients. I will alternate whiskey or sherry depending on what mood I'm in for dishes like black bean spare ribs or steamed chicken. As Jo mentioned, brandy is not foreign to many dishes. Wine or sherry is also used to enhance flavors. I use whiskey (one or two shots) to give it an added boost. The alcohol boils out so there is no chance of getting drunk. Alcohol is also a good meat tenderizer as a side note. The Chinese have been using this technique for centuries.

[Sandy]

Yum Yum!!~I am totally drooling. I have a uncle that used whiskey in his chicken hekka and it was the BEST chicken hekka ever!!So adding it to chicken long rice would be just as ono.Sorry, I don't remmember how much, it couldn't have been alot.Oh by the way....shitake all the way!!Thanks for the great recipe Reid.

[Kirk]

Actually, I knew alot of "Popo's" (Chinese for Grandmother's) who used to add whiskey to their soup and also as part of the cornstarch, water, "Booze" marinade for beef. I kinda think that whiskey/sherry was used to replace the Shao Tsing that many Chinese cook with. Sort of like how the Japanese in Hawaii used turbinado sugar as a replacement for mirin which they couldn't get.
I think whiskey/wine/sherry gives soup/broth/sauce alot more body, I use it in my Hot and Sour soup, and others. My Uncle on Maui said that "Primo" was the secret to his Hekka....

[Glen]

Since Clinton and I have the same grandmother, I can remember the great dishes that she would make with ginger and bourbon whiskey. The old Hawaiian-Cantonese cookbook by Clara Tom always used whiskey in the meat recipes. Sake would give dishes a different taste. If one is to cook a Chinese dish, you gotta use a Chinese soy sauce. For Japanese dishes, Japanese shoyu. For local dishes like saimin or poke, Aloha Shoyu. These tips are for foodie purists. If someone can't tell the difference, then enjoy your saimin at McDonalds.

[RONW]

Glen--umm....the saimin at McDonalds has a redeeming feature to it. They use fish stock (dashi) to flavor the soup, which leaves a cleaner aftertaste than the usual and tastier chicken stock.

[milgwimper]

Reid,

Wow you are on a recipe streak. All of the recipes I have been wanting. Between you and Kirk, I will have a lot of work in the kitchen, but I'm not complaining. :D

I was wondering about the recent comments section...Where did it go??

[Jo]

Some of you would be shocked by the amount of alcoholic beverages I keep in my home. I don't drink. Not from any deep set convictions, I just don't like the stuff. HOWever, all bets are off when it comes to the kitchen. I use merlot almost exclusively in beef/tomato ragu (fancy name for spaghetti sauce) burgundy for beef burgundy, sweet sherry for soaking special pound cakes, rum for hot drinks and teas when folks are ill, brandy for beef stroganoff, chardonnay for certain chicken and fish dishes... And that is just part of the Euro side! I have Mirin, Tsao Shing, and a couple others for Asian dishes as well. OH, and lets not forget beer which is a MUST when creating the perfect tempuraish batter that I use for frying nearly everything. But as you can see, certain things go with certain foods in my culinary routines. Right now, I'm sick as a dog with a dry hacking cough and a deep rattling in my lungs. I'm thinking soup, chicken, clear broth seasoned with TONS of ginger & garlic. Touch of shitake, onion, and perhaps some noodles... What liquor might enhance the curative powers here?

[Reid]

Hi Jo,

I hope Dee likes it...and I hope you make it for her too!

As for the recent comments, I did indeed remove them. I was wondering how long it would be before anyone noticed. =) I'm actually trying to clear up some of the clutter on the blog and I thought that was a good place to start. There will be subtle changes happening every so often around here so keep your eyes open.

Hi Moira,

I hope you enjoy this if you make it. I like the simple flavor of this particular dish as it helps break up the richness in flavors from other dishes.

Hi Kirk,

I actually use the left over remains of a chicken too. Normally I boil the bones to make the chicken broth, strip whatever meat is left, then add the long rice and top with green onions.

I will sometimes add fresh shiitakes to this, however, I have to admit that I'm very iffy when it comes to mushrooms of any sort. What this means is that one minute I can like them, the next minute, I can't stand 'em. Don't really know why though.

Hi Clinton,

ONIONS! Yech! WHISKEY? Interesting. I've never really used anything other than ginger to flavor this dish as I find that I like the sort of earthy-spicy flavor that ginger has.

I have to agree that this is perfect comfort food.

Hi Kawena,

Welcome to the blog!

I'm not so sure about the whiskey either, but I think there must be a motive for it! Hmmm.

Hi Keri,

Thanks for stopping by!

I really like chicken long rice, but it has to be prepared well. I normally don't like too many seasonings in this as I feel that it distracts from the pure flavor that I like it to have.

Hi Jo,

Ewww. Sorry! =(

I know people are going to be upset with me, but I really don't like those dried mushrooms. If anything, I will only use fresh shiitakes.

Hi Clinton,

Thanks for the information. I usually don't like alcohol in cooking because I'm allergic to it. Sometimes, it's OK and doesn't affect me, but I don't normally like to take too many chances.

Hi Sandy,

Thank you for stopping by my blog!

I like chicken hekka too and you can certainly turn this into a hekka-like dish by adding a few more ingredients to it.

I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!

Hi Kirk,

hmmmm! I have to think about that. I normally try not to cook with alcohol/spirits (even beer or wine) since I never know when it's going to affect me. Tne only exceptions are sake and awamori.

This could make for an interesting discussion.

Hi Glen,

Thanks for chiming in. Your shoyu/soy sauce analogy is a good one, and not only for foodie purists either. When preparing dishes of another culture, I kind of think you have to use the same type of ingredients to get the same types of flavors.

As far as the saimin at McD's is concerned, depending on who's telling the story, that was inspired by either Washington Saimin Stand (now closed) or Boulevard Saimin so it couldn't be that bad.

OK, OK...I've eaten saimin at McD's before as a last resort. *sigh*

Hi RONW,

Actually, I think the soup stock at McD's reminds me of S&S. The flavors are similar, but I think S&S uses more bonito (and more MSG).

Hi Milgwimper,

I have actually been planning this for a while and I'm going through a re-vamp / re-evaluation of the weblog. I'm actually planning to add more home-cooking to the mix. This eating out (so often) can't be too healthy, right?

As for the recent comments, I removed them about two weeks ago just to see if any one would notice. I'm actually trying to clean up the weblog so that it seems less cluttered.

Hi Jo,

I don't know how to respond to that! LOL! =)

[Clinton]

Hi Reid,
I've noticed the comment section was gone a few weeks ago and thought it was just maybe a temporary movememt. Anyway, the reason I liked it was that it gave a quick look at the latest responses to any topic which was discussed. That way one did not have to search through the whole list to see what someone had to say. In any case, your lu'au features were very ell done. All we needed were some hula girls and fire dancers.

[Clinton]

By the way Reid, I'm surprised cooking with alcohol affects you? The majority of the time the alcohol is "evaporated out of the dish since alcohol has a lower boiling point and tends to dissipate before it is consumed.

[Jo]

I'm with the "I like the recent comments list" crowd. I noticed it IMMEDIATELY! I just didn't say anything because that was about the same time TypePad started having problems and I figured you had enough on your plate anyhow...

That said, if you are happy without the list, that's ok with me! Don't think about me suffering... ::acts dramatic:: ;o)

[Kirk]

Reid - I'm kinda surprised that cooking with alcohol would bother you? The alcohol will cook off. So you don't use mirin (8-12% alc) or Tsao Tsing (12-15%) in your cooking? They are not really even as strong as Awamori or Sake.

[Reid]

Hi Clinton,

I thought about the hula dancers as I know a few, though I don't really know any fire dancers. That's too bad huh?

I'm glad you enjoyed the posts and I am considering putting the recent comments back up. I just have to figure out where I want everything else to be.

BTW...I have to be very careful with alcohol, which is why I rarely make misoyaki butterfish or rafute at home. Chinese rice wine gives me hives if there is too much of it used in dishes, especially those that are braised. Usually I will ask.

Hi Jo,

Hmmm! That makes both you and Clinton. Well, that's just about a third of my regular readership. I seriously have to reconsider then huh?

Hi Kirk,

I use mirin, but really not much of it -- usually a tablespoon here and there. As for Chinese rice wine, that normally gives me hives, but then again, it depends on how much is used in any given dish. My body reacts differently everytime. I just have to be careful.

[keiko]

Hi Reid - I think you're absolutely right about keeping this dish simple - I can eat it every day... yum!

[milgwimper]

Reid,

Well I have to be in the boat with Jo and Clinton. I noticed it long ago but did not say anything because I thought it was just problems with the blog. I really miss this feature on your blog. :( But it is YOUR blog. :D

I am glad you are posting more home made recipes. I am trying to do the same in mine, but it is really hard sometimes when you don't measure and forget to write everything down. :(

I have to agree with the shitake mushrooms, I love them fresh, but when they are reconstituted they have a really strong taste to them I do not find pleasant.

[Reid]

Hi Keiko,

I like dishes when they are simply prepared. For some reason, those dishes are so nice to eat over and over again.

Hi Milgwimper,

Thanks! I'm thinking about bringing back the recent comments..but it will be a wait and see. As for the recipes, there should be more coming up soon. I promise. =)

BTW...YECH! I don't like those dried mushrooms. The flavor of them is too strong for me.

[milgwimper]

*clap *clap* YAY I am not the only one! Yeah the taste of the dried mushrooms...*faint* Not as bad as cilantro but...*shudder*