I Cook Coz Cocaine Is Illegal

A friend’s BIL, posted his success in making this rice cooker claypot rice couple years ago on FB and shared his recipe with me. I’ve since made this a fair few times and tinkered with the recipe over the years to perfect the true claypot flavours (especially, since I don’t use the Lap Cheong and Salted fish instead). I was pleasantly surprised how this recipe still achieved that crispy rice base in the rice cooker that you would usually get in a claypot.

Cheat’s Claypot Chicken Rice

Equipment Required
Rice Cooker
Mortar & Pestle

Ingredients

3 Cups White Rice, washed & drained
2 Chicken Breasts or Thigh, cut into small bite size pieces

2 Lap Cheong (Substitutes: Chorizo, Pepperoni, Salami, or Ham) – I did not use this in my recipe
or
3cm by 3cm Salted Fish, diced into small bits
2 cm knob of Ginger, sliced
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1-1.5cups of Shitake Mushrooms, Soaked in hot water, drained and sliced
5 cups of water

Fried Shallots for garnish
Chopped Spring Onions for garnish

Sauce:
1 Tbspn Dark Soy Sauce
2 Tbspn Light Soy Sauce

Marinade
2 Tbspn Oyster Sauce
2 Tbspn Dark Soy Sauce
1 Tbspn Shaoxing Wine
2 tsp Sesame Oil
2 Tbspn Ginger Juice**
1-2 tsp Raw Sugar
Dashes of White Pepper

Method

1. Mix chicken pieces in marinade 30 mins to overnight for maximum flavour in the fridge. Remove from fridge 30mins before cooking.  
2. In a medium sized pan on medium heat, add olive oil.
3. Add Salted fish and fry till golden (WARNING: Make sure every window is open in the house – this MF is a stinker but, complete deliciousness). Remove from pan and keep aside.
4. Pour another dash of olive oil and add half amt of Spring Onion, Garlic and Ginger slightly browned and fragrant.  
5. Add Chicken (and Lap Cheong if using) and stir fry till browned on all sides then add the Shitake Mushroom and fry for 1 min. 
6. Add the rice and stir fry for another 1-2mins.
7. Pour the rice mixture and salted fish into the rice cooker and add the sauce and 5 cups water. 
8. Stir in the the rice cooker pot then set to cook.
9. When the cooker springs to Warm, set it to Cook again if your cooker allows it in not leave it in the pot for further 30mins to achieve the crusty base and the chicken to cook through. 
10. Garnish with Fried Shallots & Spring onions
11. Serve with your favourite Asian Veggies and a spicy sambal.  

Ginger Juice**

1. In a Mortar & Pestle, Pound fresh ginger till mashed/flattened in to release the juices.
2. Boil water in the kettle, once boiled pour boiled hot water into pestle till 3/4 full.
3. Gently pound, stir and use gently circular grind motions to release the ginger juices.
4. Allow ginger juice to cool.
5. Pour Ginger juice into a heatproof bowl and remove ginger pieces and squeeze the life out of the ginger flesh to retrieve the remaining juices.
6. Your Ginger Juice is ready to use in the recipe.