Claypot chicken rice

Yohoo! It's been a long long time since I update the blog. Have been busy with the son's CA, then snake fighting and going Penang for a short trip. 

Decided today to whip a good meal for the love ones, that is Claypot Rice.  Glad to see them cleaning up their plates! :)

Ingredients:

- rice (your normal rice washed, and water, both portions separated out)

- chicken meat chopped into small pieces (marinate for 20mins using below marinade)

- Chinese sausage sliced

- salted fish (chopped into small slices)

- bacon (optional. Used for the oil + flavor)

Marinade for Chicken

- 1 tbsp sesame oil 

- 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce

- 1 tbsp thick dark sauce 

- 1 tsp salt 

- pinch of white pepper powder

- few slices of ginger 

Sauce for cooking (separate bowl, mixed well)

- 2 tbsp thick dark sauce

- 2 tbsp light soy sauce

- 1 tbsp sesame oil 

Steps:

1. Pour a little oil into the Claypot, and using a kitchen paper towel, soak a little of the oil and coat around the wall of the Claypot. 

2. When the oil is slightly hot, throw in the salted fish and pan fry till the fish meat turns white or 80% cooked. Dish and set aside. 

3.  If you have raw bacon at home, throw in 2 slices and pan fry too. The oil released from the bacon will be smoky more flavorful. Dish up when bacon's almost cooked. 

4. Leaving the remaining oil, add in the washed rice.  Do not add in water yet. Using a spatula, give the rice a good stir to coat the grains with the oil. That will give your rice grains a nice taste. When done, add in the water. Cover the lid. 

5. Check the rice after 10 mins. The rice should be 80% cooked, water pretty dried up and you can see and hear the bubbling.  Stir in the pre-cooked salted fish. Using this chance, u can also check if the rice is about to be cooked. Put back the lid. 

6. After 5 mins, add in the marinated chicken, spread across the surface evenly to ensure even cooking. Using a spoon, drench the sauce over the chicken and the rice. Put back the lid. 

7. 2 mins later, place in the Chinese sausages and put back the lid.  

8. Remove cover. Add in the vegetables, place the bacon slice on top of the vegs and add the spring onions over the bacon. 

At this point, you may ask why can't we throw everything into the almost cooked rice and wait for it to be cooked?  

Well, this is to bring out the various taste in the different food items. For example, if u add in the chicken and vegetables together, the vegs will turn out to be overlooked as the meat needs more time for cooking. Also, placing the bacon slices over the vegetable, gives the vegetables a nice salty- baconish taste. 

9. To serve, drench the cooked rice with thick dark sauce to get that nice black cooked rice taste. 

Happy cooking!

Happy mum