Chinese Claypot Rice - All Credit to the Clay

Maiden pot and my maiden attempt at a classic Chinese claypot rice. This is high up on the list of one-pot dinners for busy folks who want to eat home-cooked food but don't fancy too much cleaning up.

It's less intimidating than I'd expected, and I hope the pictures will encourage you to try making it too.

First, wash and rinse 2 cups of jasmine rice, add to claypot and cover with 2 cups of chicken stock.

About 5 minutes into the cooked rice, I added salted mackerel, 2 chicken thighs chopped into chunks, mushroom and Chinese sausages. Just like the easy 5-step Hainanese chicken rice method, the fats from  the bird will melt and flavour the rice.

As I still had time before dinner, I put it on a low fire to let the claypot work on the flavours. Covered. Oh, I had some leftover Chinese spinach from lunch and added them at the last minute.

I checked in about 20 minutes later, and added more stock as the rice was still hard to the bite. And then before I realised, it was done. Drizzled a tablespoon of dark soya sauce all over just before serving.

Taste? Smoky, classic claypot flavour without me doing very much. Chicken was cooked just right, moist and juicy. All credit to the clay! I'm sold on this humble pot. Everything is cooked in the clay, no other pots to clean. My friends are so going to get a claypot from me this Christmas!

Got wiped out completely in 10 minutes. And I love the sight of this crust at the bottom. Another characteristic of the classic dish. Carcinogenic, maybe, so don't try to eat it.

To wash, just soak it in water overnight, and the crust will float up in the morning. Don't try to scrub it, just don't bother. And don't use soap to wash as the clay will absorb the detergent.

I have to record this step I took that turned out to be important. I soaked the claypot for more than 2 hours before using it. Water is absorbed into the clay and slowly released as steam under the gentle heat. I believe this accidental step made a huge difference to the end result.

Big tick from self and family. This is going to be a staple in this household now! I've been forewarned it can become very addictive, and I'm already loving it.

Now, do you think I could make pilaf rice, or the Indian bryani this way too? Basmatic rice beckons. Or how about a Western version replacing salted fish with anchovies, Chinese sausage with Italian pancetta, and Chinese mushrooms with a portobello? Could paella or risotto be cooked in a claypot?

Word of the Week - Claypot

This is a very typical Chinese claypot and commonly found across some parts of Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia and China. After salivating over Alan's post on claypot rice, I had to go out to buy one. Such claypots are not easy to come by anymore. I scoured 4 traditional shops before I eventually found this one in Chinatown. If you're looking to get one, ideally, you should find one that has a wire gauze around it for more even heat distribution. Alas, I read that only after my purchase. Whatever it is, don't buy claypots from Amazon! I just saw the obscene price they published on their website.

My claypot is unglazed for the most part, and comes with a cute handle protruded from the side. Most claypots available today come in 2 round handles but I much prefer my traditional version. Plus, mine has an added bonus of "Tao" hand carved on it. "The Way", yes, "The Way"!

The flat-base bottom of the pot is glazed as you can see here.

While at the shop, this cute Thai baby claypot caught my eyes and I just couldn't go home without her. I like her Tuscan colour and petite look. Never mind that I have no idea what to cook in it - that's totally irrelevant.

Afraid of cracking my new pot (like I did with my Jamie Oliver baking stone!), I researched on how to prepare it for the first use. Plus, you do realise today is Friday the 13th!

A few things stood out:

1. Don't subject it to sudden heat change. Sudden high heat or sudden cold can break the clay.
2. Soak it before first use to remove dirt, grit and condition it.
3. At the first use, start with low heat and gradually increase.

Do not wash your claypot with soap as the clay will absorb the detergent.

Next post: Extra Virgin Claypot Rice!

Hainanese Chicken Rice, in 5 Terrifyingly Easy Steps. No fuss. No kidding.

THIS RECIPE HAS NOW BEEN POSTED ON ASIAN FOOD CHANNEL OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE.


I'm a fan of Jamie Oliver and totally support his Food Revolution Day which happens to be today. But he put out this strange recipe on Daily Mail just 10 days ago on Singapore's iconic Hainanese Chicken Rice - here's the link to the article. I suspect you may end up with porridge instead of rice if you follow the recipe.

I have a much simpler solution for you. Here's calling all busy executives, lazy cooks, virgin cooks, and students living overseas who miss our beloved dish. I have combed the internet and found a short-cut way to make this fuss-free. But it gets better. My version is a short-cut of the short-cut I found. You can't find a shorter short-cut than this. It's called Extra Virgin Super Short-Cut, with very little compromise on authenticity and taste. The bonus is it's also a healthier version. Done in five terrifyingly easy steps. Check this out.

Step One: Prick chicken thighs with a fork and rub salt all over. Set aside.  

Step Two: Heat up empty rice cooker. Pour 2 Tbsp oil into cooker.

Step Three: Saute minced shallot, garlic and ginger in cooker till fragrant.

Step Four: Add rice and water as you would normally cook your rice.

Step Five: Place chicken thighs in a single layer on top of uncooked rice. Cover lid, and don't open till 10 minutes after rice is cooked. Done!

Recipe (heavily adapted from Lydia)
Serves 3


Ingredients
3 Free-range Chicken Thighs and Drumsticks
2 Cups Jasmine Rice with 2 Cups Water
1/2 tsp Salt to rub on meat
1-2 tsp each of Minced Shallot, Garlic and Ginger
2 Tbsp Oil
A Pinch of Turmeric Powder for colour (optional)

Method in more detail
1. Prick chicken with a fork and rub salt all over. Set aside for half an hour.
2. Wash and soak rice for 15 minutes.
3. Heat up empty cooker, pour oil in and saute minced shallot, garlic and ginger till fragrant.
4. Add rice and water. If you're using turmeric powder, mix it into the water.
5. Place chicken on top of uncooked rice in a single layer. Cover lid.
6. Don't open the lid so heat and moisture will not escape. Wait another 10 minutes after rice is cooked.
7. Remove chicken and fluff up rice gently so as not to break each grain.

Each grain is maintained whole here - gorgeous. Animal fat is released into the rice as the chicken cooks, giving it a deep flavour and aroma.

Chicken are cooked through and they taste soft and moist as if they are poached or steamed.

Serve this with a vegetable dish for more nutritional balance.

A must-try for anyone who can't cook or want to use only one pot for everything. It's much healthier than those on the streets since there is no MSG or other suspicious ingredients, and it may be the only free-range chicken rice you get.

Between Jamie Oliver and I on this dish, who will you choose to trust? Try both and tell me. Remember to give credit to my post if you like this.


P/S: I blogged about this before - check out the slightly longer version here. Some day, I'll post the super long very traditional and authentic full monty version.

See also how we learned to steam chicken leg, Chinese-style, in the culinary school.

Taste Tradition - Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Cabbage a.k.a. Mui Choy

OK, so I think I got some momentum on this now and managed today to capture a third post on traditional Chinese recipes from mom. 

Have you seen or eaten Mui Choy/Mei Cai/Preserved Mustard Cabbage before? It looks like this after soaking for 2-3 hours.

So here's what I managed to download from mom's head. She learned to cook this as a teenager - mind you, we're talking about somewhere around the 1950s. 

Ingredients:

500g Pork Belly (wash it in hot boiling water on the stove for 15 min - see pic below)

300g Mui Choy/Preserved Mustard Cabbage (soak for 2-3 hours)

6 Garlic, minced

Rice Vinegar, 1 Tbsp

Dark Soya Sauce, 1 Tbsp

Sesame Oil, 1/2 Tbsp

Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Soak vegetable for 2-3 hours, then cut into 1/2" thick - see pic.

2. Clean pork belly as above and cut into 1/2" thick - see pic.

3. Heat oil in hot pan, then add minced garlic. 

4. When fragrant and slightly brown, add meat. Stir for 2 minutes.

5. Add seasoning - pinch of salt, pepper, sesame oil, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar.

6. Allow taste to infuse, then add vegetable.

7. Add more dark soya sauce so meat and vegetable are of same colour (optional).

8. Stir for about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

9. Add 2 bowls of water, bring to boil, then allow to simmer till almost dry, then add another 2 bowls of water.

10. Simmer for half an hour, partially covered, till meat is tender.

11. Serve with a bowl of steamed organic brown rice. 

Find yourself a nice wooden bench and enjoy with a pair of chopsticks. As with all Chinese moms, my mom makes enough to last a week. In all honesty, this dish tastes best after a day or two!

Click here to see the first post on Mom's 10-minute whole fish dish and the second on Chap Chye (Chinese Mixed Vegetables).

Speaking of moms, don't forget to wish yours, Happy Mother's Day today!

Chap Chye, or Chinese stir-fry mixed vegetables

Some families serve this during the Lunar New Year.

It's been harder than I expected, trying to document mom's recipes. Why? Very simple - she has no recipe! Everything is in her head. Portions and decisions are spontaneously made based on the 5 senses. Her constant response to my every question is - You have to see. Smell. Taste. Touch. Listen to the sizzle. She does not use a measuring spoon, or any spoon for that matter. Ingredients are added directly from bottles. So how would I know how much salt to add, mom? You have to taste. But what's the baseline? Open your eyes and see! Er...ok. But see what?

Since I first posted on her 10-minute whole fish dish, the response from friends and readers have been better than anticipated. A few friends have even tried making the dish and gave positive feedback, much to mom's delight.

OK, so here's the second - Chap Chye, very traditional Chinese home cooking. 100% vegetarian dish. And very easy to do. In case you're not familiar with the ingredients, I have a picture of the items here but I'm not too certain of their names in English. 

Ingredients (Clockwise from top right. You can get everything from the dry goods store in the wet market.)

1. One large Chinese cabbage

2. Tomato is optional and not traditionally added, but she thought I needed some colours for my photos!

3. Minced Garlic, to taste.  That looks like about 2-3 Tbsp

4. Dried, Sweetened Bean Curd (soak and cut into small rectangles as shown)

5. Black Fungus (soak in water)

6. Dried Shrimps (how much to add, mom? You must see!)

7. Chinese Mushrooms (soak with fungus)

8. A handful of Golden Needle Vegetable (Dried Lily Buds), knotted (soak for half hour). Supposed to be good brain food - read more about this ingredient here.

9. Vermicelli or Glass Noodles, 80-100g (buy the higher grade one made from beans, not flour. Soak to soften.)

10. Salt, 1.5 tsp

11. Fish Sauce, 3 Tbsp (but be careful as some brands are saltier than others. Add gradually and check taste as you go along).

Strictly no MSG. Also, no oyster sauce, no sesame oil, no soy sauce, no pepper.

Method - just mix one item at a time and keep stir-frying at high heat throughout. 

1. Heat oil in hot pan (we used duck fat today, so maybe I can call this Chap Chye Confit!)

2. Add garlic and stir till fragrant. Add dried shrimps and stir till fragrant. Add mushroom and fungus. Add salt to taste, about 1.5 tsp.

3. Add cut cabbage and stir till soft. Add golden needles. Add water and let it simmer.

4. Add fish sauce (I think she went 2 rounds round the wok LOL. Ok, about 2-3 Tbsp). Let simmer. Add bean curd and vermicelli. You don't want to add the vermicelli too soon or they break into pieces. Simmer till however soft you want your cabbage to be. Some people like them limp, some prefer a crunch. And you're done. Easy?

I share my mom's food philosophy that ingredients must be fresh, strictly no MSG, and flavour should come from your main ingredients.

So there, I've conquered another of her traditional dish. More to come, watch this space. 

And now, there's only one thing left to do - devour this baby! You must eat this with chopsticks, mom says. Ho-chiak!

Drop me a note to let me know if you are thinking of trying this out. 

'Magic' Steamed Banana Cake

A dear and thoughtful friend bought me the Magic Steamed Cake cookbook by Alex Goh, a supposedly famous baker with more than 30 years of experience in the baking industry. I stared at my overly ripe Del Monte bananas and thought it's time to try out a steamed banana cake. The closest I've come to making is a banana bread which I always love. I can't imagine a steamed cake of any form or flavor can be too alluring so I harbored low hopes of this being a killer recipe for me.

As it turns out, there was no aroma coming out of my oven during the steaming process unlike a baked banana bread which emits a strong aroma around the house, and just whets the appetite. The cake also does not look fancy at all. And despite using so much more banana than the recipe calls for, it still was not banana-ish enough for me.

So why is it, I could not stop eating this plain Jane?? It's still too sweet even after cutting down on the sugar but I found myself going back for more! The texture is not as dense as it looks. Maybe there really is some magic to this after all.

Looks more like a sultana fruit cake. 

By the way, I have to tell you the story of this plate. It's from the Shangri-la in Shanghai! No, I didn't technically steal it. Tsk, tsk, how could you think that of me, a woman of high integrity! I had ordered room service so I could work through an urgent proposal - those good old corporate days. Plus I was put in a gorgeous suite and I wanted to indulge in some decadence despite the hectic schedule.

I couldn't help but notice how pretty the plate was in the food I had ordered and took the opportunity to ask the service staff turning down the room if I could buy it. Seeing how much I adored the plate, she said to me like a partner-in-crime - Keep it! I didn't need very much persuasion at all and I wasn't going to argue on the technicalities of what constitutes stealing. She even offered me some newspapers to wrap my loot! Bless this elderly Shanghainese lady who has a radical concept of delighting customers. I think of her everytime I use this plate. And can I just add, we need more service staff like her in this world of restrictions and boundaries.


Recipe
3 eggs
160g sugar (I used 110g. Note to self: adjust further to 90g in next attempt)
250g bananas (I used 3 Del Monte bananas which weighed about 370g as I want the sweetness to come from the fruit rather than from sugar. Also I love a strong banana taste in my cake. The more ripe the bananas, the sweeter the taste.)
1/4 tsp salt
50g milk
240g flour (I used plain flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
90g corn oil (I used canola)
180g sultana (I soaked these before using. Seems like a lot and this will give added sweetness so sugar can be considerably reduced.)

Method
1. Whip eggs and sugar until thick. Mash bananas with salt, then add the 2 mixtures. Whip till thick.
2. Add milk and combine well.
3. Add flour, baking powder and soda and mix well.
4. Add oil, mix well. Add sultanas and mix well.
5. Pour into greased and floured cake mould. (Doesn't really matter what size or shape.) Steam for 20 minutes.

Minced Chicken Crunch

Calling all moms with fussy eater kids. Here's one devious recipe to get them to eat whatever you want them to eat. Minced chicken with the usual Chinese seasoning of sesame oil, soy sauce, hua tiao jiu, salt and white pepper. Mixed with leeks or any veggies you want them to take. Add an egg if you want, it's optional. Wrap it in pastry sheets and pan sear for a couple of minutes for a koko-crunch texture. Very easy. Quantity is flexible. You can't really go wrong.

I saw this served ala-minute at the breakfast table in a Bali resort recently and noticed it was popular with the Japanese. Maybe it's like a type of gyoza for them.

My fussy-eater son came home from school and devoured 3 pieces before he put his school bag down. It's a culinary feat and a maternal joy to me when I can get him to eat any vegetables.

If you prefer a soft covering, click here to see minced chicken wrapped in cabbage leaves.

Private Dining - "A Leap of Faith"

A training classroom turned dining hall. 

I organised a private dinner with 20 friends on Leap Day. Yes, they paid for the dinner. No, it won't be another four years before the next one. It was a truly awesome experience for an extra virgin chef!

Of course, the star of the night was my home sous vide duck breast which was also featured on Asian Food Channel Official FB Page. 

Leaving meat to rest for about 10 minutes to retain all the juicy goodness.

I was also not afraid to include the ultimate, unthinkable Teochew Salted Vegetable Duck Soup in my wannabe fine dining menu. 

150ml Chef-recommended soup portion 

Fresh mango sorbet as a palate cleanser. We used only 20g sugar for every 2 mangoes against the recommended 50g, something the restaurants won't do in case the customers don't come back! 

Food safety was my key priority and having 2 preggy friends there helped me keep this in focus. I made 2 well done duck breasts for them and made sure there was no cognac in their bread pudding portions.

A Potato Confit Partner in Culinary Crime

Garlic Herb Cheese from Tuscany - the cheese box stole the attention though.

Good conversations in the room. Everyone looked radiant and glorious to me that night. 

I had such a swell time cooking in the kitchen and running out to serve my food, chat with dear friends or clear their plates. I noticed almost every plate was empty - yes, or they risk a CIA-type interrogation from me!

Now, did I make money from this? Let's just say, it's not quite enough for a full monty facial at Clarins. But would I do this again? That's a resounding Yes.