Hainam/Hainan chicken is a dish you can find in just about any Asian country and in Chinatowns all over the world. Whether it’s from the Hainan province in China or Singapore almost doesn’t matter anymore the dish is so ubiquitous.
I always make a point to order the local version and have had it in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Sydney. I think “true” Hainan chicken involves cooking the rice in chicken stock. But around the world there are so many variations, plain boiled rice rather than chicken stock, chicken fillet or boney pieces, crushed ginger vs sliced ginger chilli sauce…
Tonight I’m at Dong Son, a Cambodian-Chinese restaurant in Cabramatta. It’s a humble establishment that has been around for several decades serving honest, unpretentious food. The rice is a tad dry, the chicken slightly tough, but it all blends beautifully when mixed with the ginger chilli sauce and washed down with the complimentary bowl of side soup.
Dong Son
44 Park Road, Cabramatta
9724 4551
