Chicken and lup cheong claypot rice

This one-pot dish is a perfect weeknight dinner. The clay pot also helps to trap the steam and heat, creating a crispy layer of rice on the bottom and fluffy soft grains. Victor uses a sealed clay pot to avoid soaking and cracking.

Credit: Frank Yang

• serves

  1

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Chicken

• 150 g  chicken thigh fillets - cut into 1.5cm pieces
• ¼ tsp finely chopped garlic
• ¼ tsp julienned ginger
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp sugar
• ½ tsp soy sauce
• ¾ tsp Shaoxing rice wine
• ¼ tsp sesame oil
• ½ tsp cornstarch or similar starch, thinned down in 1.5 tsp of cold water

Topping

• 20 g lup cheong, cut into thick slices
• Finely sliced spring onions, to garnish
• Picked coriander leaves, to garnish

Rice

• ¼ cup fine diced onion
• ¼ tsp fine diced ginger
• 100 g short grain rice, soaked in water for 30 minutes and drained
• 100 ml water
• ¼ tsp chicken stock powder (optional)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Sauce

• ½ tsp dark soy
• ½ tsp oyster sauce
• ¼ tsp sugar
• ½ tsp light soy

Soaking time: 30 minutes

Instructions

1. For the chicken, add all ingredients to a bowl, mix and allow to marinade for 10-15 minutes.
2. For the rice, place a clay pot over medium heat. Add onion and ginger and cook until fragrant.
3. Add rice, chicken powder and water, bring to a boil, cover with a lid and let simmer for 3 minutes. Add the chicken on top of the rice, cover and cook for a further 5 minutes.
4. Turn the heat down to low add lup cheong and cook for 7 minutes. Remove the lid and drizzle oil in a ring around the edge of the rice, then turn the heat up to medium-high until you hear sizzling, this is the rice crisping on the bottom. Take off the heat and rest for 8 minutes.
5. To make the sauce, mix all ingredients in a small bowl.
6. To serve, top with herbs and drizzle with sauce to serve.

 

Victor Liong creates a Chinese banquet in Please Eat Slowly on SBS Food and SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.