SHE HAS CRAVINGS

CLAYPOT CHICKEN RICE (RICE COOKER VERSION)

Claypot chicken rice has a piece of my heart – I used to have it every week after school with my parents at a neighbourhood mall food court just 10 minutes away from home. It’s been decades since then, and the food court is sadly no longer there but I still continue to cherish Claypot Chicken Rice as a delicious dish that’ll bring me right back to the early 2000s, spending evenings in my school uniform with my parents.

However, not everyone owns a claypot at home (myself included), and not everyone has the time to go to a restaurant for a meal so I’m very grateful to be able to recreate a version of a Claypot Chicken Rice in the comfort of my own home using just a rice cooker. Sure the “wok hei” isn’t as strong, and we don’t get the delicious burnt crisp at the bottom of a claypot, but it’s just as scrumptious to fulfill your Claypot Chicken Rice cravings.

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 2-3 PAX)

  • 2-3 Pcs Boneless Chicken Thighs (Chicken Chop) – skin on and diced into medium sized pieces
  • 5 Pcs Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms – Sliced with Stems Removed
  • 2 Cups Jasmine White Rice – Washed and Drained
  • 1 Tsp Powder Chicken Stock
  • Scallions/Spring Onions – thinly sliced (optional topping)

Soy sauce Marinade

  • 1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Garlic
  • 1 Tsp Grated Ginger
  • 2 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
  • 4 Tbsp Sweet Soy Sauce
  • 4 Tbsp Sesame Oil
  • 1 Tsp White Pepper
  • Salt & Sugar to taste

HOW TO MAKE IT

  1. Combine all the ‘Soy Sauce Marinade” ingredients in a bowl and mix well until salt and sugar have dissolved.
  2. Add in sliced chicken pieces and shiitake mushrooms into the marinade and mix well until chicken pieces and mushrooms are coated. Set aside to marinade for 15 mins or overnight for a stronger flavour.
  3. Heat a drizzle of cooking oil in a wok and stir-fry marinaded chicken, mushrooms and soy sauce marinade until chicken pieces are cooked, and the soy sauce runs thick.
  4. Once done, take your rice cooker pot containing washed and drained rice grains and add only 80% of the amount of water you’d normally use to cook white rice as the soy sauce from the chicken will make up the remaining water amount. Add in powdered chicken stock and stir.
  5. Assemble: Pour in cooked soy sauce chicken and mushrooms into the rice cooker. Stir until well combined – your rice water should turn dark brown.
  6. Cook in the rice cooker until rice cooker shows “keep warm”. Let it rest for 10-15 mins before opening the lid to fluff the rice. Drizzle sesame oil at the top and serve warm with chopped scallions/spring onions.

Watch the video HERE.