How to make Claypot Chicken Rice (煲仔饭) in a cast iron pot

Claypot chicken rice is a one-pot meal which is typically eaten in hawker centres in Malaysia and Singapore. Traditionally, it is cooked in a claypot over charcoal to give it that smoky flavour. It comprises marinated chicken, mushrooms, and slices of lap cheong (Chinese sausage) on top of steamed rice and garnished with spring onions.
At home, you can also make this meal in a rice cooker as it is an easier method (this is what my mom does - method is below too). However, you will not be able to get the crispy layer of rice at the bottom. Hence, I used a cast iron pot (or dutch oven). This actually disperses the heat more evenly.
There are numerous ways to prepare this. Some cook the chicken and mushrooms separately in a pan and add it to the rice when the rice is almost cooked. However, I decided to everything in one pot!
I also chose to use Spanish chorizo as I don't like the taste of lap cheong. I added dried salted fish, but this is unnecessary if you do not have it in your home.
The timing for the recipe below is based on my stove, and may vary for you. Times also differ if you are using an induction cooker.
Claypot Chicken Rice Recipe (serves 4-5)
Rice ingredients
2 rice cups raw jasmine rice
2 rice cups chicken stock*
2 tbsps butter (or chicken fat)
Sauce mixture marinade
500 g boneless chicken thigh strips
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp dark caramel sauce (if you prefer lighter coloured rice, reduce this to 1 tbsp)
1 tbsp light soy
1 tbsp Chinese Shaoxing wine (or sherry)
1 tbsp sesame oil
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp corn starch
½ tbsp minced ginger
½ tbsp minced garlic
Few dashes of pepper (or ¼ tsp if you prefer it slightly peppery)
Other ingredients
5 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 stalk spring onion (garnish)
Half chorizo (or 1 dried lap cheong sausage) (optional)
1-2 inch piece of salted fish (optional)
2 stalks coriander leaves to garnish (optional)
*note: if you don't have chicken stock, you can replace this with 2 cups of water, 1-1½ tsp chicken stock powder/cube, ½ tsp sugar and a pinch of salt
Instructions
For the Prep
1. Combine sauce mixture in a bowl and mix well. Pour marinate onto chicken and mix throughly. Marinate for few hours (over night in fridge preferable).
2. Place dried shiitake mushrooms in a medium sized bowl and add water to soak the mushrooms overnight. Cover with a smaller bowl and set aside (If you don't have time, soak for approximately 30-60 minutes in warm water with stems removed). If you don’t have dried mushrooms, you can use fresh mushrooms.
3. Just before cooking, rinse mushrooms and squeeze out water. Chop into slices and set aside.
4. Rinse raw rice until the water runs clear. Soak rice in water for 30 minutes.
5. Slice chorizo diagonally, set aside. (If you are using lap cheong, soak the lap cheong in hot water to soften for 10-15 minutes. Remove the waxy coating and slice diagonally into thin slices).
6. Slice spring onion and remove washed/soaked coriander leaves from stems, set aside
7. Wash salted fish with water, pat dry, dice into small squares, set aside.
Preparing the chorizo and dried fish
In a small frying pan, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Fry chorizo until brown (about 2 minutes). Remove fried chorizo, leaving the oil in the pan. Set aside.
In the same pan, fry salted fish in oil until crispy. Set aside.
Cooking process
1. Drain rice after soaking and add into a medium sized cast iron pot. Add 2 cups of chicken stock and 2 tablespoons of butter (or chicken fat). Heat pot over medium sized flame for 7 minutes (covered). This brings it to a boil. Turn to low flame until the stock is almost absorbed by the rice, about 1½ minutes.
2. Remove the cover and arrange marinated chicken and mushrooms on top of the rice. Cover and continue to simmer over low fire for 15 minutes (the rice at the bottom of the pan becomes crispier the longer you simmer).
3. Off flame and let rice rest for another 10 minutes on the stove (covered).
4. Remove cover and garnish with sausage, salted fish, spring onions and coriander leaves.
5. When ready to eat, mix the rice evenly. Scrape the rice from the bottom while is still warm.
6. Serve straight from the cast iron pot.
Rice Cooker Method
Cook the marinated chicken separately
1. On a pan, sauté thin sliced half red onion, minced garlic and 1 tbsp ginger strips in 3 tbsps oil until brown
2. Add mushrooms
3. Add in ½ tbsp of oyster sauce mixed with ¼ cup left over mushroom water (this has umami flavour) until semi dry
4. Add chicken and cook until dry
Cooking the rice
1. Cook rice in rice cooker but put slightly less stock (maybe 1¾ cup, as liquid will come out of the chicken)
2. When the rice grains have become white and almost cooked, pour cooked chicken on top and cover
3. Keep warm for 30 mins
4. Garnish with toppings
Song credit:
Twin Musicom:
www.twinmusicom.org/
creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Music provided by RFM: • Video

[@upulaherath7204]

Awesome!

[@xiaoyichen5200]

Yummy! 😍

[@evelynang8962]

Yum! Can’t wait to try this recipe, but with Chinese sausage!!!

[@CarolTansKitchen]

Awesome! Please do ❤️