Chicken clay pot

makes enough for 4 servings

Ingredients

For the rice

1 cup rice

1 ⅔ cups chicken broth

2 links of Chinese sausage (lap xeong), slice diagonally

For the chicken

1 pound chicken thigh, skin on, cut in 1 inch pieces

1 thumb size ginger, peeled and sliced lengthwise

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

½ tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp shaoxing wine

1 tbsp sugar

Cooking oil

For the mushroom

½ cup dried wood ear

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp salt

For the spinach

3 cups spinach

A pinch of salt

Cooking oil

Garnishment

1 stalk of green onion, thinly sliced

Preparation

Prepare the rice

Wash the rice until the water runs clear.
Soak the rice in chicken broth, in the clay pot, for 1 hour.

Marinate the chicken

In a large bowl, combine chicken, ginger, oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, shaoxing wine and sugar.
Mix well, cover and set aside for 20-30 minutes.

Prepare the spinach

Cook the spinach with 1 tsp cooking oil for 2-3 minutes or until wilted. Set aside.

Prepare the mushroom

Soak the wood ear mushroom in boiling water for 10 minutes.
Drain, pat dry and slice thinly.
Cook the mushroom with 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp salt

Prepare the rice

Place the clay pot over medium heat.
Cook the rice with the lid on for 5 minutes or until it comes to a boil.
When the rice has come to a boil, add the Chinese sausage (lap xeong) and reduce to a simmer (lowest heat) for 30 minutes.

Prepare the chicken

In a pan over medium high heat, add 1 tbsp cooking oil. Wait a few minutes for the oil to becomes hot then add the marinated chicken.
Stir continuously for 5 minutes.
Cover and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.
Once cooked through, turn off the heat and set aside.

Finish the rice

Once the rice has simmered for 30 minutes, add the cooked chicken, drizzle some of the chicken sauce over the rice and continue to cook on the lowest heat for another 15-20 mins.
This will allow the rice to develop its crispy bottom.

Serve

Remove the rice from the heat, garnish with green onion and enjoy!

Good to know

For optimal time management, prepare the dish in the order listed above.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

makes enough for 2 people

Ingredients

1 lb chicken

4 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 tbsp ginger (julienned)

1/4 cup dried wood ear mushroom

1 can watercress (diced)

1 cup carrot (shredded)

1/4 cup goji berries

1 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp hoisin sauce

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp sesame seeds

iceberg lettuce (leaves separated)

Preparation

Soak mushrooms in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes or until fully bloomed.
Drain water and slice mushrooms in long thin strips. Set aside.
Add cooking oil to a pan over medium heat. Wait 2-3 minutes for the oil to be ready.
Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
Add ginger and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add ground chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes or until opaque in color.
Add soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sugar and sesame oil to chicken and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add mushroom, watercress, carrot and goji berries. Cook until watercress is tender but still crunchy.
Feel free to adjust seasoning to your liking at this point.
Place chicken inside lettuce, sprinkle on some sesame seeds and enjoy!

Good to know

Nothing! It’s that easy.