Claypot chicken rice is traditionally cooked over a charcoal stove, giving the dish its distinctive smoky flavor and imparting a crispy bottom crust. But starting a charcoal flame at home just isn't very feasible, so the best way to replicate this dish is to use a rice cooker.
There is some prep involved, but your rice cooker will do most of the work. Unlike cooking with a charcoal flame, you can go kick your legs up on the sofa, instead of keeping watch while manually fanning the fire!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups rice
- 450-600g boneless chicken thigh or chicken breast
- 2 chinese sausage (lap cheong)
- 8 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 bunch choy sum (optional)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 shallots, chopped
- 50g dried shrimps
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2-3 tbsp dark soy sauce (depending on how dark you like the rice)
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- A pinch of ground white pepper to taste
Chicken marinade:
- 6 ginger slices
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp corn flour
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
Prep:
- Remove skin on chicken and cut into bite-sized cubes. Marinade and set aside in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Soak shiitake mushrooms in hot water to rehydrate them. Once rehydrated, drain and squeeze out excess water, then slice thinly.
- Soak chinese sausage in hot water for about two minutes to remove the waxy coat. Remove outer skin and slice thinly.
- Soften dried shrimps in warm water, then drain.
- Wash rice.
Cooking directions:
- Heat up cooking oil in a frying pan or wok. Fry shallots until fragrant, then add in garlic and dried shrimps.
- Add the chicken along with ginger slices, shiitake mushroom and chinese sausage. No need to cook the ingredients through as the dish will finish cooking in the rice cooker.
- Add in uncooked rice and mix well with ingredients, then transfer into rice cooker.
- Follow the instructions of your rice cooker and add in required water to cook rice. Drizzle with sesame oil.
- While waiting for rice to cook, combine oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce and pepper.
- Once the rice is cooked, pour in sauce and thoroughly incorporate with rice and ingredients.
- Close the lid and allow it to steam for a few more minutes
Optional:
- Blanch choy sum in hot water and add salt to taste.
- Serve on the side with claypot rice.
Try out this recipe and let us know what you think? And don't forget to vote and let us know which is your favourite claypot stall!