Claypot Chicken Rice with Lap Cheong (Chinese Sausage)

I love a good rice dish cooked in a claypot. This is the second rice dish I have made using a claypot. I have posted the Tom Yum Prawns Claypot Rice recipe back in May.

Claypot Chicken Rice with Lap Cheong (Chinese Sausage)

Claypot rice dishes make easy and wonderful one-pot dinners. It's very popular in Malaysia and it's a must try whenever you visit Malaysia.

Two of the essential ingredients in the Claypot Chicken Rice are Shitake Mushrooms and Lap Cheong (Chinese Sausage ??).

Lap Cheong is a dried, hard sausage usually made from pork and a high content of fat. It is normally smoked, sweetened, and seasoned. When I was young, my mum used to steam the Lap Cheong and served it with plain rice for dinner. It's one of the best comfort food from my childhood.

Claypot Chicken Rice Recipe

(Adapted from My Kitchen Snippets)

Ingredients

• 1 Chinese sausage
• 4 chicken thighs – cut to bite size pieces
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy
• 2 tbsp light soy
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 2 tbsp of rice wine
• 1 inch ginger, julienned
• 1 tsp of salt
• ½ tsp of pepper
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 spring onions, chopped finely
• 5 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes
• 2 cups rice
• 3 cups chicken stock

Method

1. Mix the chicken with all the ingredients except the rice, mushrooms, spring onions and stock. Leave to marinade for at least half an hour.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok and stir-fry marinated chicken meat for 1 minutes. Add mushroom slices, sliced Chinese sausage. Dish out and put aside.
3. Put the rice and chicken stock in the cold claypot and place it over a medium heat with the lid on. Bring to the boil and immediately reduce the heat to a low simmer, then leave the rice to steam for 15 minutes. The rice should be nearly cooked, with little holes in the flat surface.
4. Spread the chicken mixture all over the top of the rice, and put the lid back on. Continue to steam over a low heat for another 15 minutes, until the chicken is white and cooked through. Give it a few stir and sprinkle the spring onions over the top and serve piping hot.

Thai Mango and Sticky Rice Pudding (Khao Nieow Ma Muang)

It's spring time in Sydney. Mango is coming into season. I can't find a better way to welcome the mango season than making this classic Thai dessert - Mango and Sticky Rice Pudding which is arguably the best of Thai dessert.

Thai Mango and Sticky Rice Pudding (Khao Nieow Ma Muang)

On a side note, I haven't been writing much lately. My posts are short, just long enough to describe what I need to say about the recipes. There are two main reasons behind it.

My computer that I work on everyday (the one that I can't live without) has died last Friday. While nothing is lost on the hard disk but I will need to get a new computer which will take about 2-4 weeks to arrive. At the meantime, I am using the second unit: my tiny lapbook which is notoriously hard to type and edit photos.

The second reason is that we had too much fun on our recent Port Douglas holiday. We went on a 80km/h speed boat (the reef sprinter) to get to the Great Barrier Reef for snorkeling. While speeding against the wave, my old joints couldn't take it and shifted :p The force has aggravated my old neck and back injury which requires a couple of physio sessions to fix them. While at it, my physio has instructed me not to spend too much time in front of my desk.

Mango and Sticky Rice Pudding (Khao Nieow Ma Muang)-(Serves 4)

(Adapted from Food of the Word Cookbook)

Ingredients

• 4 large ripe mangoes
• 200 g (1 cup) glutinous rice
• 170 ml (2/3 cup) coconut milk
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 170 ml (2/3 cup coconut cream mixed with 1/4 tsp salt, for garnish
• 2 tbsp dry-fried mung beans (optional)

Method

1. To Make Sticky Rice: Put the glutinous rice in a bowl and pour in cold water to come 5 cm (2 inches) above the rice. Soak for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Drain and transfer to a steamer. Spread the rice in the steamer. Cover and steam at low heat for 20-25 minutes or until the rice swells and is glistering and tender. The cooking time will vary depending on the soaking time.
2. While the rice is cooking, stir the coconut milk, sugar and salt in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. As soon as the rice is cooked, use a wooden spoon to gently mix it with the coconut milk. Set aside for 15 minutes.
3. Peel the mangoes and slice off the two outside cheeks of each, removing as much flesh as you can in large pieces. Avoid cutting very close to the stone where the flesh is fibrous. Discard the stone. Slice each cheek lengthways into four or five pieces.
4. Arrange the mango pieces on a serving plate. Spoon a portion of steamed sticky rice with coconut milk near the mango slices. Spoon the coconut cream garnish on top and sprinkle with mung beans. Serve at room temperature.

Nasi Kunyit (Turmeric Glutinous Rice)

For the Chinese, it is usually served with chicken curry, "Ang Koo" (it literally means "red tortoise", a Nyonya cake) and pink-dyed hard-boiled egg(s) as a gift of appreciation in celebration of the 1st month of a newly-born child.

The Indonesian usually cook it during their festive seasons, weddings and kenduris (feasts).

It is cooked with turmeric and can be served with any type of curry during breakfast (eat curry for breakfast), tea time, lunch or dinner.

Nasi Kunyit (Turmeric Glutinous Rice)

Nasi Kunyit (Turmeric Glutinous Rice) Recipe

Ingredients

• 500 g glutinous rice
• 2 slices tamarind pieces
• 3 tbsp turmeric powder
• 2 litres + 150 ml water
• 200 ml thick coconut milk
• 1 tsp black peppercorn
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 pandan (screwpine) leaf

Method

1. Wash glutinous rice and then add the tamarind pieces, turmeric powder and 2 litres of water. leave to soak overnight.
2. Drain and remove the tamarind pieces and rinse the rice once with tap water.
3. Put the rice into a steamer. Mix coconut milk, 150 ml water, black peppercorn, salt and pandan leaf and pour into the rice.
4. Steam over high heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and give it a good stir with a pair of chopstick, then return to steamer and steam for a further 15 minutes.
5. Remove the pandan leaf and serve with chicken curry or beef rendang.

Chorizo Sausage, Mushroom and Green Pea Risotto

It's Autumn in Sydney. Chilly and windy today. My hubby Mr. J and my daughter Little Miss C have gone for her soccer (football) training in the evening. I quickly whipped up this quick and easy no fuss risotto. They gobbled up their plates of steaming hot risotto as soon as I served them up on the table! Perfect winter warmer. YUMMY!!

Chorizo Sausage, Mushroom and Green Pea Risotto Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 6 large button mushrooms
• 2 Chorizo sausages, sliced
• 1 cup green peas
• 6 cups hot chicken stock
• 6 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Additional Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

Method

1. Heat half the oil in a saucepan over moderate heat and pan fry Chorizo sausage until lightly browned 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan.
2. Reduce heat to medium and pan fry onions and mushrooms in remaining oil, 2 minutes. Add rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
3. Add 1 cup of stock at a time, stirring until absorbed before each new addition (about every 5 minutes). Continue until rice is tender, about 25-30 minutes. Stir in Chorizo sausage and peas in the last 5 minutes.
4. Stir in Parmesan cheese and season to taste. Serve immediately.

Beef Biryani Rice (Nasi Biryani Daging)

Recipe adapted from Bill Granger's Every Day: Lamb Biryani. I used beef instead of lamb and reduced the quantity of meat from 1kg to 500g. I cooked this dish in a rice cooker instead of baking it in an oven.

Beef Biryani Rice (Nasi Biryani Daging) Recipe

Ingredients

• 500g (1 lb 2 oz) good quality beef, trimmed and diced (I use beef fillet steaks)
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 300g (10 1/2 oz / 1 1/2 cups) Basmati rice
• 750ml (26 fl oz / 3 cups) chicken stock (You can use Beef stock but I prefer chicken stock)

Method

1. Put the beef in a large bowl with the garam masala, cumin and turmeric and toss to coat the beef in the spices. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the beef in batches and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes until browned all over, adding a little more oil if necessary. Remove and set aside.
2. Add the remaining oil, onion, garlic and ginger to the frying pan and cook over medium heat until the onion is soft and pale golden. Add the rice, stir together and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from frying pan and pour into the rice cooker.
3. Add the beef to the rice cooker in a single layer on top of the rice and carefully pour in the stock. Turn on the rice cooker.
4. Serve immediately when it's cooked.

Note: If you prefer to use oven over rice cooker, you can bake it in a 200C (400F / Gas 6) oven for 35-45 minutes using a flameproof casserole with lid on.