Chicken Dinner #3 - Chicken Long Rice

Long Rice is a Hawaii thing, but I would imagine it has roots in China, possibly Japan. It's easy to make, and really tasty. "Long Rice" is cellophane noodle. It's not made of rice, and it's not exactly a noodle either, in the sense that it's not starchy. It's also called 'bean thread', and I'd guess it's somehow made from soybeans.

This recipe is easy, even though the pictures will make it look like there are a lot of steps. Also, it's nice for summer, because you don't cook it a long time. Once you get all the ingredients together, you turn off the pan and it finishes on its own. Lots of recipes in Hawaii are like this, probably because it's hot and humid, and no one wants the stove on if it's not necessary. :)

Here are most of the ingredients (I forgot to set out the ginger and the garlic):


These are cellophane noodles, or 'long rice'. When they are totally dry, like in the first photo, you cannot cut them - not even with scissors. To soften them and speed their cooking, put them in a bowl of hot tap water for about 30 minutes. Just start them soaking first thing, and they'll be softened by the time you need them.



We're using the skinned legs, thighs and wings (also some of the chicken broth) for this meal. Put a small amount of oil (about 1 T.) in the pan, heat it up and add the chicken. If you're cooking in stainless like I am here, the chicken will immediately stick. Don't worry, once it's cooked some, it comes loose again. I don't quite understand it, but that's what stainless 'does'.


Turn the chicken occasionally to cook it on all sides. Meanwhile, prep your vegetables. I'm using carrots (three of them), a medium onion, a couple of mushrooms (those are only for me, my family doesn't care for them) and some green onion tops - probably about 1/3 cup.


Once the chicken is lightly browned on all sides, add some grated fresh ginger. See this ginger? It's frozen solid. Little tip I learned - when you bring home fresh ginger, put it in the freezer in a baggie. When you need some, grate it off, then put it back in the freezer. It tastes the same as fresh, and doesn't dry out and get old in your crisper drawer. It's not necessary to peel ginger either - you can if you really want to, but no need. Anyway, grate some off into the pan with the chicken. I probably used almost a tablespoon.


Add a nice spoonful of minced garlic too.


Next, add about 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth, 2T. soy sauce and 1/3 c. brown sugar. Drizzle in a little dark sesame oil if you have it. You may need more chicken broth later, but this will be a good start. By the way, the recipe calls for twice as much soy sauce, but start with 2T. and you may find that it's enough.


Take those cellophane noodles out of the hot (now warm) water and put them in the pan.


Add the carrots,


Then the onions,


Then give it all a little stir. Taste the broth. If it seems a too strong, add a little more chicken broth.


Bring back to a simmer, then pull out all the chicken pieces onto a cutting board. Allow them to cool slightly - until you are able to separate the meat from the bone.


Give the meat a quick rough chop, discard the bones. They have done their job, giving flavor to the dish.


Return the meat to the saucepan. Put the lid on the pan, turn off the heat and let everything just sit a while. The flavors will marry, the long rice will soften, and it will all be just lovely.


To serve, put some brown rice in your bowl.


If you're me, put your thin-sliced mushrooms on top of the rice, then spoon the hot chicken long rice over the top. The hot broth cooks the mushrooms just enough. Garnish with green onions and serve.