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Clay pot chicken rice

I have writer's block. What is writer's 'block anyway? Merriam-webster defines writer's block as a psychological inhibition preventing a writer from proceeding with a piece. Well, mine is more of a case of trying to do too many things at the same time. So, impeding me from writing this blog.

Hence in my battle against this ancient enemy of many authors, I will keep this short.

Cooking in a clay pot adds an earthly flavour to food. If you do not have a clay pot at home, try this recipe with a ceramic or cast iron pot that you can cook on a stove. But do NOT assume all pots can be used with on a stove! I have the unpleasant experience of cracking a ceramic casserole dish on a stove, spilling chicken curry all over the stove and kitchen bench. The cleaning wasn't the problem, the dog helped. It is the hours of work down the drain. If all else fails, this recipe actually works with a rice cooker as well.

It is important that you try to use chicken pieces with bones. Bones enhance the flavour of food especially when the food is cooked slowly over a longer period of time.

Ingredients:
800 gm chicken pieces with bones
6 shitake mushrooms
3 chinese sausages
2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
4 cups chicken stock
1 inch ginger
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp oil
A bunch of bok choy for garnish

Sauce:
1 tbsp kecap manis (Sweet Soya Sauce)
1 tbsp light Soya Sauce
1 tsp dark Soya Sauce
1 tbsp  Chinese cooking wine (optional)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sugar

Steps:
1. Soak mushroom in hot water for at least half an hour. Discard water and squeeze dry. Trim off the stem and cut into slices.
2. Cut chinese sausages into slices.
3. Cut ginger and garlic into thin slices.
4. Heat oil in a frying pan. Add ginger and garlic to hot oil. Fry till ginger and garlic turns brown, about a minute.
5. Add uncooked rice to ginger and garlic mixture in the pan. Fry for another minute, making sure that the rice is well coated with oil.
6. Add rice with ginger and garlic, chicken pieces, sausages, mushrooms, chicken stock and soya sauce into the pot. Mix well. Cover the pot. When the water boils, turn to medium heat and cook for 20 minute or until the water have evaporated and rice cooked.
7. Let rice sit for 5 mins.
8. Drizzle sauce onto the rice and mix well.
9. Blanch boy choy and serve over the rice as a garnish.

Serves 4

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