Name: Clarissa’s claypot chicken rice
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 6 dried small shiitake mushrooms; 500g chicken thigh fillets, skin on preferably, cut into 2cm pieces; 1 1/2 cups long grain rice; 500ml salt-reduced chicken stock; 4-5 Tbsp vegetable oil 4cm piece ginger, cut into matchsticks; 2 Chinese sausage (Lap Cheong), thinly sliced diagonally; 1 green onion, thinly sliced diagonally; Marinade; 1 Tbsp oyster sauce; 2 Tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tsp cooking caramel (see cook’s tips), plus extra to serve; 2 tsp caster sugar; 1/2 tsp table salt; 1/4 tsp ground white pepper; 3 tsp sesame oil, plus extra to serve; 1 tsp shaoxing wine; Chilli soy sauce; 2-3 birdseye chillies, finely sliced; 2-3 Tbsp light soy sauce; Juice of 1 lime

Family recipes passed from one generation to the next have one ingredient you can’t measure, love. Clarissa’s going to share with you one of her family favourites, passed on to her by her mum. This Claypot Chicken Rice is easy to prep, easy to cook and extremely delicious.

Featuring Chinese sausage and shitake mushrooms marinated in a thick soy sauce, this dish is stacked full of flavour.

Ingredients

6 dried small shiitake mushrooms

500g chicken thigh fillets, skin on preferably, cut into 2cm pieces

1 1/2 cups long grain rice

500ml salt-reduced chicken stock

4-5 Tbsp vegetable oil 4cm piece ginger, cut into matchsticks

2 Chinese sausage (Lap Cheong), thinly sliced diagonally

1 green onion, thinly sliced diagonally

Marinade

1 Tbsp oyster sauce

2 Tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp cooking caramel (see cook’s tips), plus extra to serve

2 tsp caster sugar

1/2 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp ground white pepper

3 tsp sesame oil, plus extra to serve

1 tsp shaoxing wine

Chilli soy sauce

2-3 birdseye chillies, finely sliced

2-3 Tbsp light soy sauce

Juice of 1 lime

Method

Step 1

Soak mushrooms in boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess liquid. Trim and discard tough stalks. Cut mushroom caps in half.

Step 2

To make marinade, combine ingredients in a medium bowl. Add mushrooms and chicken. Toss well. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.

Step 3

Rinse rice until water runs clear. Drain well. Transfer rice to a medium clay pot or medium heavy-based saucepan. Add stock. Bring to boil on high. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 5-7 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed, adding extra water if needed (rice should still have some liquid and be opaque).

Step 4

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan on medium. Cook ginger for 2-3 minutes until golden. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes or until browned on all sides, but not cooked through. Push chicken pieces into rice, burying them as much as possible. Spoon chicken mixture and pan juices over rice.

Step 5

Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook on a low heat for 7-10 minutes. (Do not lift lid off during cooking process.) Remove from heat and set aside, covered, for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked. You should have a crunchy crust at the bottom of the pan – this is the best part of dish.

Step 6

Heat a small frying pan on medium heat. Cook sausage, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until caramelised.

Step 7

For chilli soy sauce, combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Step 8

Spoon sausage over hot chicken rice. Drizzle with extra cooking caramel and sesame oil. Serve with onion and chilli soy sauce.

Cook’s tips

Cooking caramel is available at most Asian grocers. If you can’t find it, swap it for dark soy sauce (try Amoy or KCT brands), which is available in the Asian aisle of most large supermarkets.

clarissa's claypot chicken rice in patterned bowl with small bowl of chili on the side

Clarissa Feildel Chef

As an accomplished cook, author and television presenter Clarissa Feildel has always had food at the heart of everything she does. Clarissa’s Nyonya/Chinese and Sri Lankan background has given her a melting pot of dishes in her repertoire, which she uses every day when feeding her family.