Billy Law’s claypot chicken & mushroom rice

As an ABC (Australian Born Chinese), I’ve always associated claypot cooking as a complex and refined Malaysian art form. Don’t ask me why! But anyway – when I found this recipe in Billy Law’s first cookbook Have You Eaten?, I knew that I couldn’t let my induction cooktop deter me so got out my camping contraption that I usually reserve for steam boat dinners and went to my favourite Chinese grocer – Minh Phat in Abbotsford – and purchased myself a claypot for around $16.

All set to go, it was time to determine whether:
1) I could successfully cook the rice in the same time as all the other ingredients;
2) The claypot would crack or even explode before my very eyes;
3) I would be sending my husband down to Victoria Gardens in Richmond to pick up some KFC Hot & Spicy for dinner!!

INGREDIENTS
5 dried shiitake mushrooms {I added some black fungus as well – my favourite}
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into cubes {I ended up using 3}
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp light soy sauce, plus extra to serve
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp cornflour
200 g jasmine rice
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
5 pieces thinly sliced ginger
1 tbsp dried shrimp, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, then drained & dried (optional)
3 anchovies, roughly chopped (optional) {I didn’t use these}
2 lap cheong (Chinese sausages), thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
Fried shallots, for garnish {I forgot these at the end!!}

Cooking Stock
250 ml / 1 cup water (from soaking the mushrooms)
1 tbsp dark soy caramel
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

DIRECTIONS
Soak your claypot in water before each use. {The lady at Minh Phat said to soak it for 6 hours the first time, and then for 30 minutes to 2 hours before each use thereafter}

Soak the shiitake mushrooms {& black fungus} in a bowl of hot water for 1 hour until softened, then drain, reserving 250ml of the mushroom water for later use. Remove the mushroom stalks.

Put the chicken cubes in a mixing bowl. Combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce & cornflour, then pour over the chicken and stir to coat in the marinade. Set aside to marinade for 10 minutes while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Wash the rice in cold water a few times until the water runs clear, then drain.

To make the cooking stock, mix the reserved mushroom water with the remaining ingredients.

Heat the vegetable oil in a claypot over low heat and gradually bring it up to medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger, and the dried shrimp and anchovies if using, and fry until fragrant.

Then add the lap cheong and chicken and cook for a further 3-5 minutes until lightly coloured.

Add the rice and mushrooms and stir well.

Pour about 3 tbsp of the cooking stock into the claypot to deglaze it; stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the claypot, then pour in the remaining stock, stir well and bring to the boil.

Once boiling, immediately put the lid on, then turn the heat down to low and cook for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and let it rest for 10 minutes. It is crucial not to open the lid at this point, as the rice is still being cooked and steamed with the residual heat inside the claypot.

Fluff up the rice with a fork, garnish with spring onions and fried shallots, and give it another good splash of light soy sauce before serving.

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Billy says this serves 2 but with the three chicken thighs, it would have served more Iike 4..!

The end product was good but the rice could have been cooked a fraction more and I think I could have achieved that as well as a crust (think like paella) if I had cooked it for the 15 minutes at a slightly higher temp.

This will definitely be a recipe I’ll be repeating because the crazy girl in me wants to accomplish a successful Malaysian claypot and I believe this recipe will help me achieve that – thanks Billy!! xx