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Lead

Claypot Chicken Rice

Posted on May 12, 2020January 11, 2022 By Alexandra Wong 6 Comments on Claypot Chicken Rice

Growing up in Ipoh, I got to know claypot chicken rice at a very young age. I still remember where I ate it: a roadside stall in Hugh Low Street.

The uncle and aunty would monitor multiple claypots on stoves like hawks, holding fans to control the flame and lifting the lids occasionally to check if the rice had cooked, or to pour sauces. When our order eventually arrived at our table, the claypot looked so dangerous with wisps of angry steam escaping through the cracks between the lid and pot. But once you lifted the cover … Mama mia! The heavenly smells drove me wild.

Sadly, now that I’ve moved to KL, I don’t get to eat it often as my neighbourhood doesn’t have any good claypot rice stall that I know of. It never crossed my mind to make claypot rice though, until I saw a claypot craftsman at a booth during Hari Kraf Kebangsaan two years back. I love old-school artisanal goods. And it was really cheap, less than RM15, so I bought it without thinking twice.

This humble cookware can do much more than just claypot chicken rice

Once I got home though, I started getting cold feet thinking it must be so difficult to use. The poor claypot sat in my cupboard gathering dust for nearly half a year until I was browsing recipes one day. A picture of claypot chicken rice popped up. I jumped up with a start and told myself, that’s it! I have to do this by hook or by crook!

To be honest, I was terrified, but my longing for claypot chicken rice was even greater …

That was a year ago. And you know what? I’ve made chicken rice many times, as well as other dishes with the claypot. I’ve tweaked the recipe multiple times, using tricks and tips I learned from watching other cooking videos.

But the best tip for killer claypot chicken rice is this one from my father.

He applies this technique to a non-claypot dish – yam fried rice. I noticed Dad always pre-fries the raw rice in sauces and oil before boiling it (the normal process of cooking rice). “Makes the rice more flavourful and fragrant,” he explained.

One day, I wondered if I could apply the same technique to claypot chicken rice. So before cooking the rice, I pre-fried the raw rice directly in the oil and sauces, before adding water to cook it as usual. Wow, that single step made a world of difference!

Later on, when I did more research, I found out that this technique is similar to making rice pilaf. Pre-cooking the rice this way imbues it with a richer and more complex flavour.

Why should you cook with a claypot?

  1. I find the claypot incredibly convenient and easy to use (it’s my favourite tool other than mortar and pestle!). What I love most about using the claypot is that you can “rescue” a dish if things go awry. Just open up the lid and add water if your rice is too dry, or simply let it cook longer if the dish is too wet.

2. A claypot is very easy to care for. Most of the commercial ones available are already glazed inside, so after cooking, just wash the inside with normal dishwasher and rinse the outside with water.

3. A claypot has superior heat retention properties, so it cooks food fast. That’s why it can cook the rice and chicken in 25 minutes or less. I fondly refer it as my low-budget answer to Le Creuset 🙂

If you’re thinking of getting a claypot, try Ramadas Pottery from Ijok, Selangor. I bought my claypot from him when he exhibited at Hari Kraf Kebangsaan. He was awarded Adiguru Kraf Tembikar (Pottery Master Craftsman) in 2012 due to his achievement and expertise in pottery field. I don’t have his business card anymore, unfortunately, but I did find an article with his contacts: RAMADAS POTTERY FACTORY, Batu 2, Jalan Kelang,45000 Kuala Selangor
Selangor, Malaysia. Tel: +6012 358 6304

Edit: I’ve revised the recipe slightly. In the original, I would add some minced ginger to marinate the chicken. However, I realise later that we’re already adding several pieces of ginger during the cooking process so this should take away the raw smell of the chicken. Anyways, you can opt for the method you like best! 

Watch how to make claypot chicken rice!

Try this loh mai fan recipe as well. It’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!

Lead

Claypot Chicken Rice

Alexandra Wong
A Chinese one-pan rice dish with marinated meat and condiments like mushrooms and salted fish, traditionally cooked in a claypot and drizzled with a savoury sauce
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hr
Cook Time 25 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 2

Equipment

  • claypot

Ingredients
  

  • 200 g chicken drumstick and thigh pieces, bone-in skin-on
  • 1 tsp cornflour

Sauce

  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 2 tbsp light soya sauce
  • 1 tbsp dark soya sauce
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper

Assembly

  • 1 cup rice, washed
  • 4-5 shitake mushroom, soaked in water until soft (reserve water)
  • 1 tbsp salted fish, fried and diced
  • 1 cup water to cook rice (includes mushroom soaking water)
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 4-5 ginger slices, lightly crushed
  • 2 cloves garlic, lightly minced
  • 1 tbsp cooking oil
  • 1 stalk spring onion, chopped
  • 1 tbsp fried shallots

Instructions
 

  • Mix sauce ingredients and divide into two portions.
    Add one portion of the sauce and cornflour to chicken. (The cornflour keeps the chicken glossy. Set aside and marinate for at least half an hour.)
  • In claypot, heat up oil and saute shallots, ginger, garlic and shitake mushrooms until fragrant. Add remaining half of sauce to the claypot.
  • Add rice to claypot and stir all ingredients together until grains are well coated with sauce ingredients. (see Recipe note 1)
  • Add in 1 cup of water to the claypot.
  • Spread the marinated chicken, salted fish and shitake mushrooms evenly on the surface of the rice.
  • Once water is boiling, reduce heat. Close lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until cooked. (You can open the lid to check and add more water if necessary, but close it back quickly so not much of the steam escapes.)
  • Switch off heat and let rest for another 10 minutes to finish cooking.
  • Open lid and mix everything with a spatula. Sprinkle with spring onions and fried shallots and serve!

Notes

  1. Most recipes require you to add the sauce only at the end of the cooking process. Adding some of the sauce when you start to cook the rice helps to create more “lung tai” – that tasty burnt crust at the bottom – because of the caramelization effect from the sauces.
  2. Cooking time will depend on the size of your pot as well as the heat of your flame. Although I cooked my rice over a low flame, as my pot is small, it took only 5 minutes for the water to dry up. Don’t be afraid to open the lid to check. I used to be terrified it’d explode but so far, so good 🙂
  3. At the final stage, you can add any condiments you like such as Chinese sausage, liver sausage etc. Some people crack an egg into it. I like to keep my claypot chicken rice simple, so salted fish is good enough for me!
Keyword one-pot meal, rice
Post Views: 3,496
Chinese, Malaysian, One-pot meal, Poultry, Rice Tags:chicken, Chinese cooking, one-pan meal, rice

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Comments (6) on “Claypot Chicken Rice”

  1. Trina says:
    May 12, 2020 at 12:26 pm

    5 stars
    Real claypot! Love it. Great tip with pre-frying. My mom does the same.

    Reply
    1. Alexandra Wong says:
      May 15, 2020 at 6:33 am

      It’s a neat trick right? Amazing how sometimes the simplest things can transform a dish!

      Reply
  2. YY says:
    May 12, 2020 at 1:38 pm

    5 stars
    You captured the recipe like a professional chef Alex! Love your sharing!!!

    Reply
    1. Alexandra Wong says:
      May 15, 2020 at 6:33 am

      Thanks YY for your moral support 🙂 I will do my best to improve even more in the future!

      Reply
  3. Joanne Lum says:
    May 23, 2020 at 8:47 am

    What a share! So detail! I cracked my claypot years ago. Gonna get one try out this recipe.

    Reply
    1. Alexandra Wong says:
      May 25, 2020 at 5:27 pm

      I know, I’m more long-winded than many recipe writers 🙂 It’s because of my personal experience. In the past, I often failed to make a dish properly because the recipe was too brief and omitted certain key tips. That’s why I find videos much better to follow! However, since this my website is text-based, I try to compensate by making my explanations more detailed to minimise mistakes 🙂

      Reply

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Recipe Rating




Who’s Ipohbunny, lah?

Welcome!

I’m Alexandra Wong, a self-taught Malaysian home cook on a mission to simplify and healthify recipes using affordable quality ingredients. I am a writer by profession, mostly known for my feelgood stories about people, travel and food.

ipohbunny

I make this granola Every Single Week. Its that go I make this granola Every Single Week. Its that good 😉 #granola #homemade #homemadegranola #cookwithipohbunny #granolarecipe #oats #wholefoods
"How's my burger?" "The flavour is quite good." "How's my burger?"

"The flavour is quite good."

Hubs' feedback stopped there, so I knew something was not right.

Know what I found out? That he and I have fundamentally very different concepts of what a good burger should be.

Having spent many years in the UK and US, his idea of a proper burger is a patty of mostly ground quality meat. Having grown up in Ipoh eating roadside budget burgers, my idea of a good burger is a moist patty that's much more tender inside because it's been stuffed with something called panade.

No, I didn't know what panade was either, until I Googled it up. Panade is bread soaked with milk, which you add to the meat to form a burger. The panade adds that oh so desirable moistness and juiciness to the burger. Yes, it won't taste as meat-dense as the meat-only burger patties that hubs is used to in the UK and US, but that's the taste I am used to. In fact, I find those meat-only burgers in high-end restaurants too beefy and meaty.

Anyway, here's how I made my burger

1. Cut up one slice bread into cubes. Add a 2 tbs milk to soak bread and crumble with fingers until it's mashed up like puree. This is your panade.
2. Dice up half a yellow onion finely. The acidity of the onion tenderises the meat.
3. Mix onion and panade with 250g minced beef ( you can add more if you want a beefier taste), salt, pepper, and enough egg to bind. Add egg slowly because you don't want too much liquid.
4. Shape into patties and panfry on both sides. Serve! :)

#homemadeburger #burger #hamburger #beefpatty #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #Malaysianhomecook #foodporn #meatlover #burgerrecipes
Wahhhh! Didn't expect so many of you to ask me for Wahhhh! Didn't expect so many of you to ask me for my chicken char siew recipe. Either I took a damn good photo, or .. you guys really really want to eat chicken char siew lol.

Ok, I can't take credit for the recipe because I compared and picked bits and pieces off recipes by other people. Most of the ingredients are quite predictable - hoisin sauce, soy sauces, honey/sugar, 5-spice powder - but the one thing taht surprised me was the addition of lam yue or fermented red beancurd. I read that it lends a distinct umami that can't be replicated by other ingredients. Well, I just happened to have a bottle, so I put it in. 

This isn't perfect, but I'm jotting it down for future references.
1) Mix together 2 tbs hoisin sauce, 1 tbs light soy sauce, 1 tbs dark soy sauce, 1 tbs honey/agave, white sugar to taste, and a pinch of five-spice powder. I didn't measure, just agak2 only so please bear this in mind!
2) Add 1-2 cubes of fermented red beancurd along with a tsp of the sauce it's submerged in. Mix everything together and taste if it's sweet/savoury enough.
3) Marinate your chicken chop in the sauce for several hours.
4) Pan fry on both sides. Done!

Important notes:
1) This is one of the most variable sauces around. By that I mean, some people like it sweet, some less so. I say, just taste the sauce before you marinate your chicken and adjust accordingly. I don't like too sweet so I reduced the sugar.
2) Which may be why my chicken didnt' char siew in the oven, although I tried grilling it at 200 C, basting it with the sauce several times, etc. Maybe not enough sugar to caramelise properly, so i ended up pan-frying the chicken in my nonstick sauce pan. Kau tim!

#Chineserecipes #chickencharsiew #bbqchicken #Ipohbunnyyrecipes #cookwithipohbunny #chickenrecipes #chicken #Malaysianhomecook #Malaysianfoodblogger
Stir fried celery with roasted cashews ❤️ Ser Stir fried celery with roasted cashews ❤️

Seriously. One of the tastiest #vegan dishes you'll eat in your life - and so healthy! A restaurant favourite that can be easily recreated at home with just five ingredients, the crunchy freshness of just-cooked celery goes so well with the creamy cashew.

1. Remove the stringy outer layer of celery stems with a vegetable peeler.

2. Slice diagonally across each stem to get 
3/4 cm thick slices.

3. Heat up 1 tbs oil in non stick pan. Add celery and sear for 1 minute, before browning. Remove from pan. 

4. In same pan, add garlic (and more oil if needed) to saute. Add back celery.

5. Add 1 tbs (vegetarian) oyster sauce and 3-4 tbs water. Stir to mix the liquids.

6. Cover with a lid and steam for a few minutes till your desired doneness. The time will depend on how crunchy you want your celery. Less time, more crunchy. Just eat a piece of the celery to decide.

7. Toss in roasted cashews, stir to mix and dish up!

#veganchinesefood #vegetarian #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #celery #Chinesecooking #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #Malaysianhomecook #vegetarianrecipes
This salted egg bittergourd is so gorgeous!! 1. S This salted egg bittergourd is so gorgeous!!

1. Slice bittergourd into two length wise. Scoop out white pith and seeds. 
2. Slice bittergourd thinly. Rub with salt and leave aside for 15 min to remove bitterness. Wash off salt.
3. Boil salted duck egg for 10 minutes. Scoop out egg yolk and mash finely.
4. Heat up 1-2 tbs oil and lightly fry bittergourd slices for 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
5. In same oil, add chopped garlic and mashed egg yolk. Cook until mixture starts to foam.
6. Add 1/4 cup water (or more) and stir to mix and create a sauce. May be a bit watery at this stage, so add water slowly.
7. Add a pinch of sugar.
8. Now add back bittergourd, toss through, cover with lid and cook over low flame to reduce sauce until it has thickened to your desired consistency. 
9. Serve with white rice :)

Psst if you want my steamed egg recipe, check out my YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkxFGOKXiJg 

#cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #vegetarianrecipes #vegetarian #bittergourd #Chinesecooking #Malaysianhomecook
Zucchini puffs... Inspired by the incredibly creat Zucchini puffs... Inspired by the incredibly creative Chef @dan.giusti on @epicurious

Using @kawan_food roti malabar, egg, Zucchini and salt and pepper only.

Quick easy lunch :) 

#vegetarian #vegetariansnacks #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #puffpastry #vegetabletart
I smashed it!! My one and only #fudgybrownie rec I smashed it!!

My one and only #fudgybrownie recipe from now on. 

Cos it works

1/2 stick butter (60g)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 egg
Pinch of salt
50-60g dark chocolate
1 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Melt butter and dark chocolate.
2. Mix in sugar until sugar melts.
3. Whip egg until pale and frothy. Add to cream mixture.
4. Fold in flour, saltand cocoa powder.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Done!!

#brownie #brownierecipe #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #desserts
Mita Bakery from Kuching @mitaofficialkch kononnya Mita Bakery from Kuching @mitaofficialkch kononnya legendary. At least according to hubby, who got this cake during his biz trip.

One bite of their famous butter cheese cake and I can understand why. Sooo fragrant and moist even after 3 days. Its buttery without being heavy, know what I mean? Good #baking kungfu, this. That addition of cheese gives it a subtle hint of umami that just takes this to another level. When you slice it, it looks like white sandwich bread because the crumb is quite dense, so interesting! 

Gonna eat this very sparingly.

#buttercake #eatcake #cake #kuchingfood #Sarawakfood #foodblogger #Malaysianfoodblogger
I love all sorts of cakes, but carrot cake is sacr I love all sorts of cakes, but carrot cake is sacred territory.

My mum used to make it. Her cakes were wondrously crumbly and moist, and filled with so many goodies (We Ipoh people call it "toh liu") that nothing sold outside has ever, ever come close. 

Until @grumpyoldman_bakes

I didn't plan on ordering his cake, honestly. But I'd had to rush back to Ipoh for an emergency, and after some very stressful days, I figured I deserve a cake. Cakes make everything better right?

I'd read him waxing lyrical about his carrot cake and against my better judgement, I decided to order one. Gulp, risky. But what's life without some risk?

He was so sweet and helpful in his interactions, and even tolerated my unnecessary rambling (I express to destress). 

When I popped the box lid open, I gasped at how pretty it was. The whole cake was covered in thick frosting and topped with fresh walnuts. 

And then I cut a slice for mum and was even more shocked. You could see the grated carrot and nuts - it was so generous portioned - but the proof was in the tasting. MUm's tasting, to be exact.

She took a  bite and smiled approvingly. "It's so moist inside!"

That is the HIGHEST compliment, in my opinion, one can ever pay a carrot cake. So many out there guilty of dry, pebbly abominations. 

I took a bite and immediately noticed how fresh it tasted. And, I realised, tears springing to my eyes, how close it was to Mum's version, which I last ate more than 20 years ago. 

Thank you Chris for awakening these wonderful memories. 

#carrotcake #grumpyoldmanbakes #ipohbaker #homebaker #ipohhomebaker
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