Vegan Hainanese Chicken Rice is an innovative plant-based twist on the classic Singaporean dish! The vegan chicken is made from king oyster mushrooms wrapped in delicate tofu skin, creating a remarkably realistic chicken-like texture.
Whether you're a vegan seeking a delicious alternative or a non-vegan curious about the wonders of plant-based cooking, this Vegan Hainanese Chicken Rice recipe showcases the diversity and satisfaction that vegan cuisine can offer. It also brings a lot of nostalgia for me while creating the recipe, as Hainanese Chicken Rice is one of my comfort dishes growing up!
This recipe is inspired by the Vegan Teriyaki Chicken recipe on the blog.
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Hainanese Chicken Rice with a twist
Hainanese Chicken Rice is a popular and iconic dish that originated from the Hainan province in southern China. It consists of tender poached or steamed chicken served with fragrant rice cooked in chicken broth. The dish is typically accompanied by various condiments such as chili sauce, ginger sauce, and dark soy sauce.
Hainanese Chicken Rice is known for its simplicity, delicate flavors, and emphasis on perfectly cooked chicken and aromatic rice. It has gained international popularity and can be found in many Southeast Asian countries, with each region adding its own unique twist to the dish. It is considered the national dish of Singapore with a lot of cultural significance.
This recipe is made in collaboration with my fellow creator and food blogger Brown Girl Vegan, and we attempt to show how to make a realistic, authentic yet plant-based Chicken Rice.
Why you'll love this recipe
I love this recipe and it brings me a lot of joy and nostalgia while creating this recipe. In my attempt to create this dish, I have attempted to make this recipe:
- Innovative and Realistic: The combination of king oyster mushrooms and tofu skin creates a vegan 'chicken' that closely mimics the texture and taste of traditional chicken, providing a satisfying and realistic experience.
- Authentic Flavors: With aromatic ginger-infused rice, a garlic chili sauce that packs a punch, and a delightful sweet soy sauce, this recipe captures the authentic essence of classic Hainanese Chicken Rice.
- Plant-Powered Diversity: Even if you're not vegan, this recipe demonstrates the incredible diversity and creativity of plant-based cooking. It's a delightful reminder that vegan cooking can be just as flavorful and satisfying and you don’t have to miss out on your favorite food as a vegan.
Ingredients
The recipe has 3 components: the Vegan Chicken, the Rice and the Sauces.
For the Vegan Chicken, you'll need:
- King oyster mushrooms
- A large sheet of yuba (tofu skin)
- Spice mix: salt, pepper and 5-spices
The fragrant and flavorful rice includes these ingredients:
- Rice
- Ginger
- Salt
- Mushroom seasoning
- Soy sauce
- Sesame Oil
To make the 2 sauces, you'll need:
Chili Garlic Sauce:
- Chillies
- Garlic
- Salt
- Limes
- Sugar
- Water
Sweet Soy Sauce:
- Soy sauce
- Vegan oyster sauce
- Sweetener (sugar or maple syrup works great here)
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making the Rice
Rinse rice 3 to 4 times and drain the starchy water it produces.
To a pot, add sesame oil. Saute ginger paste until fragrant for 30 seconds.
Add sesame oil to a pot.
Then minced ginger and stir fry for 1 minute.
Add rice to the pot and saute for a few minutes.
Add 3.5 cups of water, followed by kombu dashi, salt, white pepper. Then add in a tied bunch of pandan leaves.
Add water to the pot
Add the seasonings
and an optional tied bunch of pandan leaves.
If you’re using a pressure cooker, let it cook on high flame until you hear the whistle. Switch off your stove and let it remain in the steam for 10-15 minutes.
If you’re using a rice cooker, add the rice and water, then close the lid and press the button to start the cooking process.
Make the Vegan 'Chicken':
Cut the heads of the king oyster mushrooms and boil them in 4 cups of water. Add a vegetable stock cube and let the mushrooms boil for 10 minutes. (Add salt if you’re not using vegetable stock.)
Cut the mushroom heads
Boil the mushroom in veg stock for 10 minutes.
Remove the mushrooms and transfer to an ice bath.
Gently squeeze the mushrooms to drain off excess water.
Prepare the salt rub using mushroom seasoning, pepper and 5-spice powder. Rub the mushrooms with the spice mix.
Slit the mushrooms vertically
to form a cutlet.
Score the mushroom cutlets in a criss-cross pattern.
Rub the mushroom cutlets on both sides with the salt rub mixture, including: salt, black pepper and 5-spice powder.
Rehydrate the tofu skin (if using dry ones), cut the tofu skin sheet into thirds then make the vegan chicken:
Fry in oil
until golden brown and crispy on both sides.
Slice the vegan 'chicken' into thin pieces.
Make the Sauces
- For the chili sauce, combine all the ingredients required in a high speed blender.
Add the ingredients to a blender.
Blend till smooth.
Assemble the rice with the sauces.
- For the sweet soy sauce, combine the ingredients and give them a good mix.
- Once the rice is cooked, mix in soy sauce and sesame oil for extra flavor.
Assemble the vegan Hainanese Chicken Rice
- Plate the rice with the vegan chicken, sliced cucumber, tomatoes and coriander (or scallions). Serve with chili sauce and sweet soy sauce.
If you have tried my recipe, please let me know what you think by leaving me a review on this page or tagging me on Instagram @veggieanh. I would love to see your creations!
Print📖 Recipe
Vegan Hainanese Chicken Rice
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 serving 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Vegan Hainanese Chicken Rice is an innovative plant-based twist on the classic Singaporean dish! The vegan chicken is made from king oyster mushrooms wrapped in delicate tofu skin, creating a remarkably realistic chicken-like texture.
Ingredients
‘Chicken’ Rice:
-
2 cups of rice
-
1 tablespoon ginger
-
1 tablespoon sesame oil
-
1 vegetable broth cube
-
Salt, white pepper
-
2 teaspoon kombu dashi
-
Tied bunch of pandan leaves
-
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
-
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Vegan ‘Chicken’:
-
150 king oyster mushrooms (4)
-
Salt rub mixture:
-
1 teaspoon salt or mushroom seasoning
-
⅛ teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder
-
Dash of black pepper
-
-
1 large sheet of tofu skin (yuba)
Garlic Chili Sauce
- 2 red chillies
- 3 cloves garlic
Small piece ginger - 3-4 calamansi limes
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- Water to blend
Sweet Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp veg oyster sauce
- 1 tsp sweetener
Plating
- Cucumber
- Tomatoes
- Cilantro or Chopped scallions
Instructions
Making the Rice:
- Rinse rice 3 to 4 times and drain the starchy water it produces.
- To a pot, add sesame oil. Saute ginger paste until fragrant for 30 seconds.
- Add rice to the pot and saute for a few minutes.
- Add 3.5 cups of water, followed by kombu dashi, salt, white pepper. Then add in a tied bunch of pandan leaves.
- If you’re using a pressure cooker, let it cook on high flame until you hear the whistle. Switch off your stove and let it remain in the steam for 10-15 minutes.
- If you’re using a rice cooker, add the rice and water, then close the lid and press the button to start the cooking process.
Make the vegan 'Chicken':
- Boil King Oyster Mushrooms in 4 cups of water. Add a vegetable stock cube and let the mushrooms boil for 10 minutes. (Add salt if you’re not using vegetable stock.)
- Remove the mushrooms and transfer to an ice bath. Gently squeeze the mushrooms to drain off excess water.
- Soak your tofu skin in hot water until it becomes soft (about 1 minute)
- Slit your mushrooms vertically and slice them open so they form a flat cutlet shape. Prepare the salt rub using mushroom seasoning, pepper and 5-spice powder. Rub the mushrooms with the spice mix.
- Wrap the mushroom cutlets in tofu skin. This will be our vegan chicken.
- To a pan, add some oil and fry the vegan chicken on both sides until lightly browned. Keep them aside and chop them into slices.
Sauces
- For the chili sauce, combine all the ingredients required in a high-speed blender.
- For the sweet soy sauce, combine the ingredients and give them a good mix.
- Once the rice is cooked, mix in soy sauce and sesame oil for extra flavor.
Assemble:
- Plate the rice with the vegan chicken, sliced cucumber, tomatoes and coriander (or scallions). Serve with chili sauce and sweet soy sauce.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Meal
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Singaporean, Chinese
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Tran Nguyen says
Delicious recipe!!! I need to work on my tofu skin for the mushroom chicken. Thank you for creating this recipe the real Hainan chicken recipe is one of my favorite dishes before switching to plant based eating!
Veggie Anh says
Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed it!