Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (February 2017) and taken from “Malaysia : Recipes from a Family Kitchen” written by MasterChef 2014 winner, Ping Coombes
It’s mesmerizing watching street vendors make this dish with 10 charcoal stoves on the go. They place the pots with rice on top of the hob, which gives the dish its smokiness.
Serves : 2
Ingredients :
3 dried shiitake mushrooms
150g boneless chicken thighs, sliced
1 tblsp vegetable oil
10g fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Chinese sausage (lap cheong), sliced
4 tblsp sweet soy sauce
1 tblsp light soy sauce
3 tblsp water
200g jasmine rice
Birds-Eye Chilli and Soy Dip and Stir-Fried Lettuce, to serve (Optional)
For the marinade :
1/2 tsp light soy sauce
large pinch of caster sugar
1/2 tblsp cornflour
Step One : Put the dried shiitake mushrooms in a bowl, cover with cold water and set aside to rehydrate for 2 hours. You can speed up the rehydration by covering them with just-boiled water. Drain the mushrooms, squeeze them to discard any excess water and cut off and discard the stalks. Quarter the mushrooms and set aside.
Step Two : Meanwhile, put the chicken in a bowl and add the marinade ingredients. Stir and leave to marinate for at least 20 minutes at room temperature, or 2 hours (covered) in the fridge.
Step Three : Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the ginger and garlic and fry until fragrant, then add the sliced sausage and fry for a further minute. Add the marinated chicken and the mushrooms to the pan and continue to fry until the chicken turns opaque. Add half the sweet soy sauce and all the water. Continue to fry for 2 minutes more (the chicken needs to be nearly cooked through). Set aside.
Step Four : Wash the rice in cold water and drain, then repeat twice with fresh cold water. This will get rid of excess starch. Transfer the drained rice to the clay pot, then fill it with water, until the water sits about 2.5cm above the rice. Bring it to the boil over a medium heat, then turn down to a low simmer.
Step Five : For about 10 minutes, once the rice has absorbed nearly all the water, put the chicken mixture on top of the rice and cover the clay pot. Continue to cook on the hob over a low heat for a further 10-13 minutes. The rice will form a crust at the bottom of the pot. If using: serve with Bird’s Eye Chilli and Soy Dip and the Stir-Fried Lettuce on the side.
