Clay Pot Chicken Rice

Various types of clay pot rice (namely, rice cooked in clay pot with various toppings) are popular in South East Asia (or even China) and one of my all time favorite is clay pot chicken rice. Traditionally, the rice is cooked in clay pot over a charcoal stove and topped with ingredients like chicken, mushroom and Chinese sausages (Lap Cheong). Typically served with dark soy sauce, some serve with dried salted fish and even some green. Diners usually have to wait at least 15 - 20 minutes before the dish is ready but the wait is well worth it; the wonderful smoky flavor and the burnt rice crust at the bottom is in my opinion, the best part of the dish.

Growing up in low-middle class family, clay pot chicken rice is a treat that we only get during festive seasons; and a 'pot' has to be shared among four people, which makes it so much more previous. As time changes and we can now more than afford daily clay pot chicken rice, most sellers have also changed their charcoal stove to a much faster and easier to manage gas stove. The taste of 'traditional'is getting rare.

Nostalgic aside, clay pot chicken rice is an easy to make one pot dish. My recent trip to Penang added me a small ceramic clay pot to my ever growing list of kitchenware (the real clay pot are too heavy & fragile to transport). I've wanted to try my hands on claypot chicken rice for so long (rice cooker & microwave ones are just not the same) and finally, I have my chance.

Some recipes call for cooking the rice and chicken separately, when the rice is about ready, add the chicken on top; some cook the chicken and then add the rice together to cook. To me, none of both are good/authentic. I believe the goodness of chicken will go to waste if they are cook separately; and if the chicken is already fully cooked before the rice, the meat will get too 'old' in the final product. The traditional way has always been cooking the rice first, when rice is almost done, add the raw chicken on top and use the rice steam to cook the chicken.

Claypot Chicken Rice Recipe (serves 2)
Ingredients:-

For the chicken (A):

225 g chicken meat (preferably thigh), deboned and cut into 2 inch pieces

1 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp Shao Xing wine (or any cooking wine)

1 tsp sesame oil*

1 tsp oyster sauce

1/4 tsp dark soy sauce

1/4 tsp sugar

1 clove garlic, sliced

6 slices of fresh ginger

pinch of salt & white pepper to taste

For the rice (B):

2 - 3 dried Shiitake mushroom, re hydrated** and sliced

20 g of sliced of Chinese sausages (optional)

140 g white rice, rinsed in cold water and drained

196 ml chicken stock (or water)

For the sauce (C):

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

½ tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1½ tbsp hot water

Methods:-

1. Mix the chicken with all the ingredients in (A) and let it marinade for at least 30 minutes.

2. Place the claypot on the hob and rub a layer of oil in the inner pot. Turn the heat to medium.

3. Add the drained rice & chicken stock to the pot. Cover the lid, let it cook for 10 minutes. Check the heat from time to time to prevent water/stock overflow.

4. In the mean time, make the sauce from ingredients (C).

5. After 10 minutes, add about 1 tbsp of sauce into the rice and stir well. The rice should be almost done but not quite yet. 

6. Add the chicken pieces on top of the seasoned rice, sprinkled with sliced mushroom & Chinese sausages.

7. Close the lid, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for another 10 - 15 minutes. DO NOT open the lid at this point no matter how tempted you are.

8. After 15 minutes, the clay pot chicken rice is ready. If the meat / rice is not cook yet, let it sit for another 5 minutes on low heat. 

9. Served with chopped spring onion and drizzle with additional sauce (C).

The result? I love my own clay pot chicken rice. It's quite some miles away from the traditional charcoal clay pot chicken rice but is it full of fragrant and packed with flavor? hell, yeah! Plus the tenderness of the chicken and the slightly burnt rice crisp, oh it definitely made my list of comfort dish in the autumn October month. 

If you have the traditional clay pot, soak your clay pot in water overnight before first time use. Right before using it, wipe the inner of the pot with some vegetable / cooking oil. Try to avoid sudden cooling (from 400 degreeC to 20 degreeC). These should prevent your clay pot from cracking. Mine is a ceramic claypot, I didn't soak it at all and it sustain from gas hob to dining table in room temperature without a scratch. 

* The only sesame oil I use is from Ghee Hiang made from both white & black sesame, no compromise. If you use other brands, you might want to increase the sesame oil amount, for they are not as fragrant as Ghee Hiang's. 

** Re-hydrate dried mushroom: a lot of people believe the best/fastest way to rehydrate mushroom is to soak in hot water, which is wrong. By doing that, the mushroom is 'destroy' to a certain extend. Best way is to soak in normal room temperature water with a bit of sugar ;)