Moments in My Life

On Friday (a few weeks ago) we had a heavy rain from early morning till late at night. What’s nice for dinner on a raining day like this? A steamboat is nice but I didn’t have enough ingredient to put together a steamboat. So I went and made Chicken Claypot rice. It is easy to make. Just make sure you soak the shitake mushrooms as early as you can, later rince them and season with a little soy sauce, sugar, white pepper and a little potato/corn startch. Leave this sitting aside until you are ready to prepare your other ingredients.

What you need: rice, dry scallop, chicken, shitake mushroom, ‘lap cheung’ (Chinese sausage), green onion & cilantro for garnish.

Steps:

1. Soak the dry scallop in drinking water. This water will be use later for cooking too.
2. Soak mushroom in warm water, when is soft, squeeze out excess of water and season with soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and white pepper.  Set aside.
3. Wash and rinse your rice.  I made 3/4 cup rice for each claypot, next time I need to make 1 cup for each.
4. Soak the rice in water (pic below).  For 3/4 cup rice, I put 1 1/4 cup water (include the water used to soak the scallop), which was a bit too much. Next time I need to put less. But it is good because the consistency of the rice very suitable for Brandon.
   
5. Then I proceed to season the chicken (used breast meat) with sugar, soy sauce, salt, sesame oil, a little rice wine (used rose rice wine) and potato starch.
   
6. Now we are ready to cook.  Turn on the gas and set it to medium low. 
7. Drop in the scallop.
8. Close the lids.
   
9. When the rice is half way cooked, put in the rest of the ingredients, ‘lap cheung‘, mushrooms, seasoned chicken.
10. Cook until the rice is done.
    
11. Add garnish on top - chopped cilantro and onions (we love lots of these)
    
12. If you need sauce, you can make it with soy sauce and sugar. Or else, the seasoned chicken should provide enough sauce for the rice.

Brandon chomped up all his share in no time. I only gave him chicken meat, no mushroom or ‘lap cheung‘. I was left with half a pot only. Note to myself: Next time make more.

I know a few friends of mine have to wake up in the morning to a good old cup of coffee brewing in the coffee pot. I am not a coffee addict like them but sure enough, the aroma of fresh gourmet coffee brewing in the pot is something I do look forward to when I am staying with any of them.  

One of them particular prefers high quality hand roasted coffee bean among the rest. He is picky about his coffee and only like those special blends from Carolina Coffee Company. May be this give me an idea what to send him this Christmas.  I think the gift will able to make it on time if I place my order on rush delivery.  Yup … I better stop typing and do that now. 

Picture credit: Copyright © carolinacoffeecompany.com