Category: Home-cooked Food

Cooking in NZ : Courgette Polpette

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As a way to say thank you to my uncle, auntie and cousins for their kind and awesome hospitality. The hubs and I decided to cook dinner for everyone. There were 11 of us that night and needless-to-say I was quite worried with how the menu would turn out. Mum was super worried that there won’t be enough food. But of course, there was always WAY too much!

We were quite daring to try one of the recipes that we saw on a cooking show at Paihia a couple of days before the scheduled dinner – courgette polpette. Simply put, cheesy courgette balls! haha As funny as that sounds, it tasted surprisingly good!

               It wasn’t heavy even though there was quite a bit of cheese added, I didn’t cook the courgettes till they were overly tender, I preferred mine with a bit of crunch! But might actually be easier to roll and combine them when they are softer. haha. Personal preference! (:

Courgette polpette (adapted from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in River Cottage Everyday)

2 tbs olive oil

3 medium courgettes, finely diced into cubes

1 egg, beaten

2 tbs grated cheddar

1/2 ball buffalo mozzarella, diced

50g breadcrumbs

1 tbs chopped parsley

Ground black pepper, to taste

Steps :

1. Preheat oven to 200ºC and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the courgettes for about 10 minutes, until tender and golden. Set aside to cool it a little.

3. Combine with all the other ingredients to make a thick, sticky mixture. Season with black pepper.

4. Take a heap teaspoon of the mixture and roll them into balls. Place on the baking sheet and bake for about 15 mins or until it starts to brown. Serve them warm or cold. With bread or with salad. ENJOY!

ps : it’s vegetarian-friendly too! (:

Baking In New Zealand : Baklava

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Sorry for the lack of posts the past 2 weeks. I just got back from a holiday in New Zealand (: So I am all refreshed and ready to keep the blog going! It was a fantastic trip; spending time with family and eating absolutely delicious food! I couldn’t believe 11 days went by in a jiffy. Time always seems to fly when we are having fun. Will definitely head back for another holiday in time to come!

We were so fortunate that we have family living in Auckland so we were able to live in their beautiful place for the 11 days. Just feel so calm and serene. Love their place! It’s really amazing to wake up to this view everyday.

When I first stepped into the house, there was just one word in my mind : WOW! The one room that I absolutely loved was the kitchen. The oven to be more specific!

Doesn’t it look gorgeous? It’s my dream stove/oven! (:

My cousin had a get together with his friends and he was in-charge of desserts so he asked me to teach him to make a Mediterranean dessert and the first thing that popped into my mind was baklava! It was quite brave of me to suggest that as I have never ever made it before. It was just always on my “to-bake” list! Thankfully, it turned out delicious and his friends liked it. *phew*

Nothing beats the combination of butter, nuts and sugar in between layers of crispy pastry. I remember when I use to live in Brunswick, we were able to buy really delicious baklava. Till this day, I would crave for one and have the urge to drive there to get it!

Making baklava was a team effort though. Needed someone to be in-charged of brushing the layers of filo pastry with melted butter, and other to place the layers of the filo perfectly in-line with the rest, another person scattering the nut and sugar mixture. Just made the whole process really fun! Loved every second of it.

Definitely making this again. Soon 😀

Baklava (Adapted from Gourmet Traveller August 2009)

250g pistachios and cashews, finely chopped

50g caster sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

100g butter, melted

300g filo pastry

Lemon Honey Syrup

150g caster sugar

75g honey

Grated rind of 1 lemon

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Steps :

1) Combine the nuts, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, and set aside. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius and line a tray with baking paper.

2) Layer one-third of the filo pastry in tray, brushing butter between each layer. Scatter evenly with half the nut mixture, then top with half the remaining pastry, brushing butter between each layer. Scatter over remaining nuts, top with remaining filo, brushing between each layer with butter. Refrigerate until firm (15 minutes), then cut through all pastry layers into 4cm diamonds with a sharp knife. Bake until golden and cooked through (about 30 mins). If needed, cover loosely with foil partway.

3) Meanwhile, for honey syrup, combine sugar, honey, lemon rind and 150ml water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to low, simmer until infused (10-15 minutes). Remove from heat, stir through lemon juice and set aside to cool slightly.

4) Cool baklava slightly (2-3 minutes), pour over syrup evenly, set aside at room temperature to cool completely (overnight if possible). Baklava will keep in tray, covered, for 3-4 days. ENJOY!

My favourite way to have it is to pop it into the microwave for 10 secs and have it warm! How do you like to eat your baklava? (:

Salted Vegetables Duck Soup (Giam Chai Ark)

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I love soup! When I think of soup, one word comes to mind – comfort.

They are a definite must during the super cold and gloomy days. Soups are the one thing I think of when I feel physically drained and especially when I’m down with the flu. After 8 weeks of work, I think my body is begging me to take a break and to have a good rest. Thank goodness the holidays are here! (: Unfortunately, I caught a kid-bug from school and am down with the horrible flu. This fluctuating weather in Melbourne definitely is not helping. Super cold in the morning and cold at night.

Back home, every dinner included a bowl of soup. Even though it was never cold in Singapore, soup was a necessity to begin and/or  end the meal. The Mr is cantonese, so before starting his meal, he had to have a few sips of soup. As for me, I’m Hakka, and have our soup at the end of the meal. So as you can tell, soup is very important in our culture.

Grandma’s pig stomach soup! noms!

One of my favourite soups is pig stomach’s soup. My grandma would always cook a whole huge pot for me when I am back in Singapore. This and stewed pork knuckle. Just thinking about it makes me salivate! The other soup that makes the top of my list is salted vegetables duck soup! My mum would make this occasionally and I would happy slurp down 2 big bowls of it!

We had a craving for it and decided to buy a huge duck from Costco. So the Mr deboned the duck and cut the carcass into a few pieces. I reserved the duck breast for future use and used the rest of the duck. It was my first time cooking it, so I was a little uncertain about how it would turn out. But with chinese food, alot is about trail and error. So I did! haha Thank goodness, it turned out well and tasted quite close to the one mum makes! yippee!

Salted Vegetables Duck Soup (An Original Recipe by Food Made With Love)

1 duck, deboned and cut into pieces (I kept the duck breast)

2 tomatoes, quatered

5 cloves garlic, chopped

6 dried shitake mushroom, rinsed and soaked (reserve the water)

1 can button mushroom (or any other mushroom you want)

1 packet of salted mustard greens*, soak in water for 30 mins and cut into big pieces

2 tbs vegetable oil

2 tbs shaoxing wine

1 tbs light soy sauce

1 tsp ground white pepper

1.5L water

Steps :

1) Heat a big soup pot over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. Fry the garlic till fragrant. Careful not to burn the garlic or the soup will have a bitter taste.

2) Add the duck and fry till the skin is nice and brown, add the shaoxing wine and the water. Allow it to come to a boil. Skim the foam off the top to make sure the stock remains clear. Once the foam is skimmed off, add the tomatoes and the salted mustard greens. Cover the pot with the lid and simmer over low heat for 30mins.

3) Add the soaked shitake mushrooms and the water. Add the light soy sauce and pepper, adjust according to your preference. Add the canned button mushrooms and simmer the soup for another hour or more. Check every now and then to make sure the soup is not over-reduced.

4) Serve with steamed rice or quinoa and ENJOY! (:

Note :

* Salted green mustard can be bought at any asian supermarkets. Remember to soak it for at least 30mins as it might be a bit too salty. Do also note that there is a sour version of this. The packaging looks similar, so read it to make sure its the salted one!

** You can also add some pork bones or chicken bones to add more flavour to the soup! If you do, you can just use half a duck and keep the other half for something else (:

Homemade Yu Seul Jja Jang Myun

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So the korean craze continues.

Remember my recent review on Han Guuk Guan and we had the yummiest jja jiang myun? I got adventurous and decided to challenge myself to make it! I was a bit apprehensive about it, but we both were craving for more after having it that night! So I went to the asian supermarket KFL at Springvale and guess what I saw?

Black bean paste! (: PERFECT! I snapped a photo and whatsapped the mr and he was as enthusiastic about it as I was. So I saw that as a green light to get it. It wasn’t expensive though. Just $3? Could definitely last us for a minimum of 10 plates of jja jang myun! haha

I also question how restaurants get their jja jung myun the beautiful dark colour and only after I cooked it myself, I realised it’s all in the black bean sauce! There is no secret and definitely no additional colouring. *phew*

I have to admit, after plating up I was dancing a small dance inside when I realised I got it looking pretty close to the one we had at Ham Guuk Guan! I couldn’t find the right noodles to use so I just used the flat wheat noodles. It worked well with it as well! Had a little spring to the noodles. Almost like the la mian you get from chinese restaurants. The julienne zucchini gave the dish an extra crunch and the mr really enjoyed that. (:

I sure do love my noodles black. hehe (:

Yu Seul Jja Jang Myun (Seafood Black Bean Noodles)

200g basa fillet, sliced into 1-inch pieces

150g prawn, shelled and deveined (keep the shell for stock*)

50g clams

1 onion, cubed

1 carrot, cute into cubes

150g black bean sauce

1 1/2 cup prawn stock (recipe below)

1/2 zucchini, julienned, for garnish

1/2 tbs sugar

1 heap tbs corn starch

3 tbs water

2 tbs olive oil

200g dried wheat noodles

Steps :

1) Heat the olive oil in a deep dish pan over medium to high heat and add the onions and carrots. Fry until the onions become transparent and the carrots become a little softer.

2) Add the black bean sauce and stir it well. Add the stock* slowly, stirring, making sure everything is well combined. Cover with a lid and allow it to come to a soft boil.

3) Add the seafood according to the time needed for them to cook. I added the fish and allowed it to cook for 2-3 mins, before adding the prawns then the clams.

4) Add the sugar and adjust amount as needed. Mix the corn starch with water and slowly add it to the sauce, stirring as you add the mixture, allowing it to thicken.

5) Boil the wheat noodles according to the instructions at the back of the packet, then drain them when ready. Place them on a large plate and top it with the black bean sauce. Top the dish with the julienned zucchini before serving. ENJOY!

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* For the prawn stock :

Shells from the prawns used

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbs vegetable oil

1 litre water

1 tsp fish sauce

Steps :

1) Heat the oil in a small heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and fry till it’s brown, careful not to burn it as it will turn bitter.

2) Add the prawn shells and fry till the shells turn orange/red. Use the spatula to press the heads down and get all the flavours out of the shells.

3) Add the water and fish sauce and allow the stock to come to a boil. Lower the heat and allow the stock to simmer for not more than 30 mins. Drain the shells and take out 1 1/2 cups of stock for the noodles. You can freeze the rest for up to 1 month or keep in the fridge to be used within 3 days.

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Once again, a messy plate is a yummy plate in my books! (: 

Veal Goulash

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I never had veal. Not that I can remember. It just never hit me that maybe I should give it a try. Maybe it’s just the thought that veal is the meat from young calves that made me not want to try them at first. But after watching Italian Food Safari and seeing how they cooked a veal osso bucco. I really wanted to try veal, at least once. And so I did. Of course I didn’t know what was the best way to cook the veal and so I decided, veal goulash!

So off I went to the supermarket to get the ingredients for a goulash. I walked the aisles of Woolies and just couldn’t think of what to compliment the veal goulash. Mash? Greens? But in the end, I decided that the stew would be perfect with egg tagliatelle. With the delicious gravy coating every single strand of the pasta. What could be better? And might I add, more comforting on a cold night after a day of work?

I cheated today and adapted from the recipe that was found on the packaging of the veal stew meat I bought from Woolies. Was a bit apprehensive because they put the juice of a whole orange in the stew. Something sweet in savoury? Will it work? Then I remembered the winners of MKR (Leigh & Jennifer) who used pineapple juice when cooking their massaman curry (so going to try it!), making Judge Manu Feildel go “OMG!” I immediately decided to give it a shot. And I am so glad I did! It was delicious!

As it cooks, the smell of the orange gets stronger. But when you actually taste it, there is only a subtle taste of the orange and it actually works beautifully!  With the saltiness of the parmesan cheese, everything just went so well together. We loved it!

Veal Goulash (adapted from Woolworths Recipe)

400g veal stew cut, diced

1 red onion, sliced into small wedges

1 heap tbs plain flour

1 tin (400g) diced tomatoes

1/2 cup green split olives

Juice of 1 orange

Rind of 1 orange, grated

250ml beef stock

1 tsp paprika (can add more if you like the spice!)

1 heap tbs thickened cream

salt and pepper, to taste

Steps :

1) Heat a heavy-based pot over medium-high heat with 1 tbs of olive oil and brown the veal. Brown them in 3 batches so that it will give the stew a nice dark colour. Take them out and put them aside.

2) Add another tbs of olive oil and the onions. Fry till the onions start to break down and soften. Add the plain flour and stir until the onions are well coated.

3) Slowly add the beef stock, olives, diced tomatoes, orange juice, orange rind and paprika. Allow the stew to simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Pop the lid on but do not cover the pot completely. Give a small gap to allow some of the liquid to evaporate, thickening the stew. Season with salt and pepper.

4) Just before you serve, add the cream and stir it well. If serving with pasta, cook the pasta according to the package and add it into the goulash coating the pasta well. Top it with shaven or grated parmesan and ENJOY! (:

If you ask me, a messy plate is a yummy plate. haha (: If you have any good veal recipes, please point me to the direction! Would love to learn more ways to cook this gorgeous meat!

Dry Pork Curry

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I first had this at my parent’s friend’s house during Deepavali and instantly, I loved it. It’s definitely not like your usual curry. It’s pork, for one, and it’s not similar to the rich and heavy gravy that you usually get when having curry. It is my idea of a healthier curry! There is no coconut milk added, and you don’t even need to add water! Amazing huh?

I made my mum ask Aunty Lata for the recipe so that she could cook it for us on a regular basis. haha Last year when she came, she cooked it for us for dinner one night and it was perfect for a cold winter night! There and then, I asked her to tell me the recipe verbally while I recorded it down. I stashed it in one of the boxes with my other recipes and forgot all about it!

I was looking for a winter warmer recipe (in Autumn, I know) cause it’s been s0 cold these couple of days and found it folded and clipped in between my food magazines. So I decided to give it a shot and I was so glad I did! It was spicy and tangy and just went so well with quinoa! Of course, it would be awesome with roti and steamed rice too!

I decided to do a step by step photo-recipe so that you will be able to get this dry pork curry on your dining table without much hassle and too much thought! I do hope you all will enjoy!

Aunty Lata’s Dry Pork Curry

Ingredients :

400g pork, sliced (I used the shoulder, with the skin and fat trimmed)

2 tbs curry powder (I used Baba’s meat curry powder)

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp ground white pepper

1 tomato, diced

2 tbs olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 star anise

1 tbs curry leave (I used dried, you can use fresh ones if you have)

1-2 tsp garlic salt

Steps :

1) Marinade the pork in a tupperware with the curry powder, dark soy, garlic and tomato. Mix it till it’s well combined and let it marinade for at least 2 hours. Would be even better overnight!

 

2) In a large saucepan, heat 2 tbs of olive oil on medium-high heat and add the star anise and fry till fragrant. Add the onions and curry  leave and fry till the onions soften.

3)  Pour in the marinated pork and fry till the pork is cooked.

 4) Lower the heat to low-medium and cover the pot, allowing it to simmer for about 30 mins. DO NOT add any water to the pot as the tomatoes and the pork itself would provide sufficient liquid through the cooking process!

5) Lift the lid and allow it to simmer for a further 15 mins, giving the liquid time to evaporate and thicken the curry.

 Serve with quinoa or steamed white rice and ENJOY! (:

So what is your favourite kind of curry? Share with me! (:

Green Papaya Salad with Avocado

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I have been watching Poh’s Kitchen, and I really like how she is able to come up with recipes of things she have tried from different regions and countries. When I first saw this episode of Poh’s Kitchen on the road last year, I was super excited, because she went to Singapore! I was really thrilled (:

She made this amazing green papaya salad which made the mr and I drive out to Footscray Market to get the ingredients immediately. It’s almost like the Thai version of the papaya salad but she mashed an avocado which acted as a dressing that made the dish creamy and appetizing at the same time! Asian fruit salads are one of my favourites, when you have a bite, there is an explosion of different flavours. Sweet, salty, sour and spicy! This salad is exactly it!

It’s a really refreshing salad and it would go really well with any other asian dishes. I highly recommend something spicy like chilli prawn or BBQ stingray. YUM!

Green Papaya and Avocado Salad (adapted from Poh’s Kitchen On The Road)

1 cup (250ml) vegetable oil
1/3 cup ikan billis
2 cups green papaya or paw paw, shredded (see note)
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
½ cup mint leaves, torn
½ cup picked coriander leaves
4 spring onions, green and white parts, sliced finely
1 long red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
1/2 of an avocado, mashed
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 teaspoons tamarind paste
3 teaspoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons caster sugar
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Steps :

1. Heat vegetable oil in a small saucepan over a medium to high heat. Deep fry the ikan blilis and dry them on a kitchen towel.

2. To make the dressing : combine chilli, avocado, garlic, tamarind, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice in a bowl and mix with a fork  until nicely combined. Check the balance of the dressing and adjust accordingly adding fish sauce for saltiness, sugar for sweetness and lime juice for acid.

3. In a large mixing bowl combine the prepared papaya, tomatoes, mint, coriander, spring onions and dressing and toss very gently with your hands until just combined.

4. Sprinkle the deep-fried ikan billis over the top and serve immediately.

Note : To peel the green papaya (or paw paw), deseed and use one of those Asian peelers with the shredding attachment to shred the papaya to thin pieces. Alternatively, you could cut them into long matchsticks (about 10cm long) using a sharp knife. Try not to use a grater, as it might bruise the papaya and will become very watery.

Childhood Memories

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Ever had a dish from your childhood that you can remember vividly and you try to recreate it recently? I sure do!

I remember when I was young and I use to head to my 3rd aunt’s house to stay over the weekend. She would call me the day I am heading over to ask me what I would like to have for dinner. The conversation would go like this (direct translation from mandarin) :

Aunt : What would you like to have tonight? (你今晚想吃什么?)

Me : You anyhow cook, I anyhow eat！ (你乱乱煮,我乱乱吃!）

That conversation still cracks me up! haha That’s how horrible my mandarin was (and is, sadly), since I was 2/3 years old! But my aunt knew what my favourite dish of hers was and she would whip it up for dinner when I’m over. So what is it? Fried prawn egg! It’s simple but so so delicious! Till now, when there are family potluck gatherings, she would make it for us!

Since we got back from Singapore, we have decided to abstain from meat on Fridays. It was difficult to prepare lunches for Fridays to be brought to work. You won’t want it to be too messy, and you would want something that could be easily eaten using a spoon. So immediately, this dish popped out in my head! So I have been doing trail and error to get the perfect recipe and I think my last attempt was the closest! The secret is to fry it like an omelet and make sure both sides are nice and brown before using your spatula to chop it into small bits of pieces.

So here’s the recipe! Hope you will enjoy it as much as we do!

Fried Prawn Egg (Adapted from My Aunt)

300g prawns, deshelled, deveined and cut into small pieces

2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

4 eggs

1 tbs olive oil

3 tsp fish sauce

3 tsp sesame oil

white pepper, to season

spring onion, chopped, to garnish (optional)

Steps :

1) In a small metal bowl, season the prawns with 1 tsp of fish sauce, 1 tsp of sesame oil and pepper. In another bowl, crack the eggs in and season the egg with 2 tsp of fish sauce, 2 tsp of sesame oil and pepper.

2) Heat a flat, non-stick frying pan on medium to high heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and fry till fragrant (careful not to burn them). Add the prawns and fry till they are brown and caramelised on the outside. Add the egg and spread it around the frying pan evenly.

3) Turn the heat down to medium and allow it to brown on one side then flip it to the other side, and allow that to brown too. This should take about 3-5 mins (on each side). You may check the progress by gently lifting up the sides with a spatula.

4) Once both sides are nice and brown and crispy, the fun (and distressing I might add) part begins. Use your spatula and randomly chop the omelet into small pieces. Allow it to fry for a further 3-4 mins then serve!

Serve this with rice or quinoa. Enjoy! (:

This is the mr’s portion haha in a “Light My Fire” lunchbox! Doing our bit for the environment! hehe

So dear readers, what is one childhood memory you can’t forget? Would love to hear it!

ps: so sorry about the quality of the photos. They were shot by my iphone4s. Been a bit lazy getting my camera. 🙂

Homemade BBQ Pork (Char Siew)

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I’ve always been a fan of roast meats, especially roast duck and roast pork belly. If you follow me on instagram, I actually head to Golden Harvest Restaurant at Footscray for their roast duck and it’s the best roast duck I’ve had!

It’s usually a treat when we head there for dinner. A celebratory meal (:

Of course another favourite of mine is BBQ pork (char siew) and not just any char siew, specifically my mum’s. Ever since she made her version of BBQ pork, my brother and I have never liked any other versions that we had that is bought. Something that bothers my dad alot is the artificial red colouring of most of the store bought BBQ pork. And mum’s has no sign of that at all.

Tender and juicy pieces of BBQ pork that were cooked in an AMC pot! AMC pots are magic, really. And I’m a super lucky girl, cos whenever I am back for a holiday, mum would surely make her char siew for me. (:

So when I’m back here in Melbourne. Of course I miss mummy’s char siew and I decide to give it a shot, without the AMC pot. haha with my fingers ans toes crossed, I marinated the meat and baked it in the oven!

I have to say, it was close but it’s still lacking the same punch and kick as the one mummy makes. But for now this would have to do and we will just have to keep trying and altering the marinade until we get it spot on! But this definitely satisfied our cravings that night!

So here’s my take on BBQ pork, how do you usually make yours?

Homemade BBQ Pork (An original recipe of Food Made With Love)

400g pork fillet (or any tender cut)

2 tbs Lee Kum Kee Char Siew Sauce

1 tbs Hoisin Sauce

1 tbs oyster sauce

1 tsp dark soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, chopped garlic

1 tbs shao xing wine

1 tsp ground white pepper

1 tsp garlic salt

Steps :

1) Marinade the pork fillet with all the other ingredients listed above for at least 2 hours (even better overnight).

2) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. In a deep baking tray, place the marinated pork and pour 1/3 of the marinade on top of the pork. Cover the pork with baking paper to make sure the top doesnt burn (not yet anyways!). Bake for 20 mins and take it out to flip it to the other side.

3) Pour another 1/3 of the marinade on top and bake it for another 15 mins without covering this time.

4) Take it out and flip it for the last time, pouring the remaining marinade on top of the pork fillet and bake it for another 10 mins, or until tender.

5) For the last 5 mins, turn the grill on and allow the top of the pork fillet to char.

6) Allow the pork to rest for 10 mins before slicing it to thin pieces. Remember to scrape all the yummy sauce on the baking tray and serve it with the pork or on the side. ENJOY!

I prefer to have the sauce on my char siew. Have it with your choice of carbs. Of course mine is quinoa, how bout you?

Mummy’s Claypot Rice

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When I first came to Melbourne about 8 years ago, I didn’t know how to cook at all. The only thing I actually knew how to cook was fried rice, and it was horrible. haha. So you can imagine, 1 month before I came here to study, how hectic it would be in the kitchen as mum tries to teach me some basics. So for the first year, I survived on a cyclical menu of decently flavoured fried rice, spaghetti and different simple stir fry. And of course, lots and lots of trail and error. haha

I have to say, all the experimenting spurred my interest in cooking and of course baking. Each time I head back during my long breaks, mum would teach me a few new dishes to cook. I keep the recipes in a notebook, just in case I forget them. (: It’s like a mother-daughter bonding session. Absolutely love it. I know i’ve said it before, but she is my inspiration in the kitchen.

One dish that I absolutely love is her version of claypot rice, with a twist! If you’re thinking, “I don’t have a claypot and I have to get one”. This recipe is for you! Cause it’s cooked in the rice cooker!

I know most people have claypot rice for the crispy and charred parts at the bottom of the claypot, I do have to warn you that this recipe doesn’t have the crispy bits, but it is definitely as yummy! So don’t dismiss this dish just cause it’s missing the crispy bits (although I know how important that is for an authentic claypot rice) but this is really a quick fix for a claypot rice craving!

Mummy’s Claypot Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup of rice

2 chinese sausages, sliced

2 chinese liver sausages, sliced (optional)

5 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked and sliced

250g chicken thigh, cut into chunks

10 pieces of chinese cabbage, cut into big pieces

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tbs vegetable oil

2 tbs oyster sauce

1 tbs shaoxing chinese wine

1 tbs dark soy sauce

1 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

50ml water

ground white pepper, to season

2 tbs thick dark soy (caramel thick sauce)

spring onions, chopped (to serve)

fried shallots (to serve)

Steps :

1) Rinse the rice and add water (according to the cooking instructions behind the packaging) and take out 2 tbs of water. Leave it aside.

2) Place the chinese sausage and liver sausage in a bowl and steam for 15 mins. Drain the oil and leave it aside.

3) In a heavy based frying pan, heat the vegetable oil and fry the garlic till fragrant, careful not to burn them. Add the mushrooms and fry till fragrant. At this time, start cooking the rice in the rice cooker.

4) Add the chicken pieces and brown them. Add the sauces, pepper and shaoxing wine and 50ml of water. Add the chinese cabbage and allow it to simmer for 20 mins and make sure the liquid is almost completely reduced. Add in the chinese sausage and liver sausage. The rice should be almost done, pour the mixture onto the rice and give it a good stir. When the rice cooker clicks, leave it in the “keep warm” mode for another 20-30 mins.

5) Just before serving, pour the thick dark soy over the rice, top with spring onion and fried shallots. ENJOY!

Even without the crispy bits, this is one solid claypot rice that reminds me of home (: