To make the chicken:

Wash the chicken clean and remember to set aside the piece of chicken fat at the back cavity. Transfer the chicken to a plate and pat dry with a paper towel. Lightly rub the chicken with the salt. This will give the chicken skin a nice sheen. Set it aside.

Bring the water, along with the ginger and spring onion to a boil ina large stockpot. Before adding the chicken to the pot, rinse the chicken under chicken under running water to wash away the salt.

Carefully lower the chicken into the boiling water, positioning the chicken breast side up. Now is a good time to adjust the water level so the chicken breast just pokes above the water (so you aren’t left dry white meat).

Once the water boils, carefully lift the chicken out of the water to pour the colder water that is trapped in the cavity. Carefully lower the chicken back into the pot. Bring the water to boil again and cover the lid.

Turn off the heat, and leave the pot, covered, on the stove for 45 - 50 minutes (set a timer). To check if the chicken is done, stick a toothpick into the thickest part of the drumstick; if the juices run clear, it’s cooked through.

When the 45 minutes timer (for the chicken) is almost up, prepare a large ice bath. Once the chicken is cooked, carefully lift the chicken out of the pot, drain the water from the cavity and lower it into the ice bath.

Take care not to break the skin. After 15 minutes in ice bath, the chicken should be cooled completely, drain and cover with clear plastic until ready to cut and serve. The ice bath stops the cooking process, locks in the juices and gives the chicken skin better texture.

To make the rice:

While the chicken is cooling, make the rice.
Heat a wok over medium heat, add the chicken fat and render about a minute. Add sesame oil and stir in the minced garlic and fry briefly, making sure doesn’t burn.

Add the uncooked rice. Stir continuously for about 2 minutes.

Turn off the heat. Scoop the rice into the rice cooker and add the appropriate amount of chicken stocks and salt. Close the lid and press start.

While the rice is cooking, let’s prepare the 4 signature dipping sauce.
You can also start preparing there sauces while chicken in the pot.

To make Ginger garlic sauce:

Grind the ginger and garlic in a food processor until a paste forms. Heat the oil in a small pot. Gently fry the ginger and garlic until aromatic and just lightly caramelised. You want it to be just cooked so that it no longer has that spicy raw flavour of uncooked ginger and garlic. Add salt and taste and transfer to a sauce dish.

To make sweet dark sauce:

Heat the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar dissolves and the liquid thickens into a simple syrup. Add the dark soy sauce, stirring to combine. Transfer to a sauce dish.

To make chilli sauce:

Grind the chillies, ginger and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. You will probably have to scrape down the sides of the food processor 1 - 2 times to ensure everything is ground up evenly. Add the sesame oil, salt, sugar, lime juice, and vinegar to the food processor. Pulse 2-3 times to combine.

Transfer to a small bowl and add the chicken broth (what you used to boil the chicken) 1 tbsp at a time until saucy consistency is achieved. This is really about your preference too; if you like a thicker paste, add less broth. The broth also helps the sauce come together and adds additional chicken flavour.

For spring onion and ginger oil:

Heat up the peanuts oil in a saucepan over high heat until the oil is shimmery and hot, but not smoking. Add the spring onion, ginger, garlic at once, but be careful, the oil will bubble and splatter.

The onion will sizzle and wilt almost immediately and turn a bright green. Take the pan off the heat and stir the sauce with a wooden spoon. Add a splash of sesame oil and salt to taste.

The spring onion and ginger oil will keep in the fridge for a couple of days, but it’ll lose that vibrant green colour.