Claypot Chicken Rice

I've been a little lagging in posting recipes for the stuff I've cooked or baked lately. Can't seem to get the butt off the couch to get some 'paperwork' in order. Even the lappie has been hibernating for a long time.

But today I tried a recipe which I came across from one of the magazines I brought back from SG and it's so easy and so comforting I had to post it.

To me, claypot chicken rice sold in foodcourts are not worth the money. The good ones are those you get from old, slightly dirty hawker centres. The hubs and I used to patronise one at the hawker centre at Margaret Drive. We usually had to wait for a while cos they're always busy and if you can't get a table near the stall, you'll have to return to the stall to check on your order and self carry your food to your table.

Being far from home now, this dish is extra satisfying. I have a feeling if I cooked it while we were back in SG, it wouldn't have achieved the same emotional result.

If you're a seasoned cook, you need not follow the recipe to the T. I always believe cooking is something very personal. Modify the recipe (which I did) and twitch it to your own liking. As long as you're comfortable, who's to say it's wrong?

Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp ginger juice
- 1 tsp Chinese rice wine
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp light soya sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soya sauce
- 2 chicken drumsticks, skinned and cut into 4 pieces each
- 1 cup rice, washed and drained
- 2 cups water
- 1 Chinese sausage (sliced)
- 4 shiitake mushroom (sliced)
- 1 small piece salted fish, deep-fried and cut into 8 pieces
- 2 tbsp spring onions (chopped)
- 1 tbsp fried shallots

Method:
- Mix the sesame oil, canola oil, oyster sauce, ginger juice, Chinese rice wine, salt, sugar, light soya sauce and 1/2 tbsp dark soya sauce. Marinate chicken in mixture and set aside.
- Cook the rice with 2 cups of water in a covered claypot over medium heat for 10 min.
- Place the marinated chicken, Chinese sausage and mushrooms on the rice. Cook over low heat for 20 min, until the chicken is cooked, and the base and sides of the rice are brown and crisp.
- Mix 1 1/2 tbsp of dark soya sauce and the salted fish into the rice. Top with spring onions and fried shallots.

Food or Feelings? Physical or Emotional?

I made a casual comment to the hubs after lunch that had I not known how to cook, I seriously doubt I can survive in Jogja. I really dun like the food that are commonly available here and there's only so much I can take. When we eat out, most of the time I have no idea wat to eat and end up going for the same selected few. Even bro who is staying in Shanghai, a place with more options where food is concerned, is being 'forced' to learn how to cook. But the hubs said I will survive just fine cos I will just have to adapt and accept. Moreover, he said, food is not really the issue here. It's really a taste of home that we want. In a nutshell, we're homesick. I've never thought of it that way. I mean, sure I miss the food back home. But that's cos I like to eat. Is that linked to homesickness? If the same food back home is available here, will it then make me feel better abt staying here? Wat do u think?

Cinnamon Toast

We've been having cheese toast for breakfast for the past few days and I thought we could do with a change today. So I decided to make French Toast and at the spur of the moment, thought of experimenting with Cinnamon Toast. It's extremely easy to make and the result surprisingly comforting. I've never been a big cinnamon fan but after having the Cinnamon Melts from Macdonald's during our last trip back to SG, I fell in love with it.

So I mixed some sugar and cinnamon powder in a bowl (proportion to your own liking) and toasted a slice of bread using a pan. When the bread is nicely brown and hot, I sprinkled the mixture evenly while leaving the bread in the pan. Then I flipped the bread so that the sugar will melt and in the process stick the cinnamon powder to the bread. In less than a minute, I'm chewing into fragrant, crispy and appetizing toast. :)