Chicken Teriyaki

Preheat the oven to 180C. Boil the rice in a pot of salted water according to instructions on the package. The ratio of rice to water should be about 1:2 and it should take about 15-20 minutes for it to be done, depending on the type of rice you’re using.

Gut and clean the chicken, if necessary, and cut it in two lengthwise. Salt both of the chicken halves and season them with black pepper. I’d advise against using other herbs or spices here, because you don’t want to overpower the flavor of the teriyaki sauce. Place the chicken halves on a baking sheet and brush a little sunflower oil over the skin. This will help it become nice and crisp as it bakes. Add a crushed garlic clove to the baking sheet. Bake the chicken for about 30 minutes.

Make the teriyaki sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce and the sugar. Bring to a simmer over low heat. 

Using a microplane, grate the garlic cloves. If you don’t want a strong garlic flavor, you can simply crush the cloves instead of grating them. If you want a little spiciness, you can add a little chili pepper to your sauce.

Peel and grate the ginger using a microplane, and add it to the saucepan. It will add a wonderful flavor to your sauce.

Add the vinegar to the saucepan. Keep cooking the sauce over low heat until it starts thickening a little. Take it off the heat and let it cook a little.

Peel the melon and cut it into bite-sized pieces. 

Put a couple of spoonfuls of rice onto each plate, top it with the melon and chicken. Pour the teriyaki sauce over it. Garnish with a bit of chopped parsley before serving.