Claypot Chicken Rice with Mushrooms and Fresh Herbs Dipping Sauce

This one-pot-all chicken and mushroom claypot rice is always a hit in my family.  It is tasty, filling, and very easy to make.   Cook it all at one go in the rice cooker, and it is truly a fuss free family meal.
 

We love to eat all chicken rice (be it claypot, hainanese or just regular coffeeshop chicken rice) with the ginger dipping sauce, but I once commented to hubby that I dislike having to manually grate the ginger because it takes quite a while to make a substantial quantity adequate for my ginger crazy  family.  Hubby then suggested I use my mini Philips wet mill to blitz it all.

Bless his brilliant idea! I tried it and it works beautifully.  Now I can add in all my favourite herbs - my favourite combination is coriander, spring onion, a pinch of mint and loads of young ginger.  Toss in some chicken stock powder, sesame oil and pepper, and blitz for a few seconds.  

This makes the most appetizing dipping sauce.  My little guy absolutely loves this, and he can chow down two huge servings of rice with this.  Definitely a great way to get your kids to appreciate the taste of fresh herbs and ginger!

You can also make this dipping sauce for Hainanese Chicken Rice.  Check out my recipe HERE.

Homecooked Hainanese Chicken Rice

Claypot Chicken Rice with Mushrooms and Fresh Herbs Dipping Sauce
Serves 4 (although my small family of 2 adults and a kid can wallop it all :p)

• 3 medium size chicken legs, skin on, chop into two chunks per leg 
• 1 tbspn black soy sauce
• 1 tbspn light soy sauce
• White pepper
• 2 tsp chinese cooking wine
• 5 pieces of dried chinese mushrooms, soaked in warm water until softened, squeezed out the excess water then slice thinly
• 1 stick of chinese sausage, skin removed and slice unto thin diagonal slices
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 slices of ginger
• 2.5 cups of rice

Dipping sauce

• 3 inch knob of young ginger, peeled and thickly sliced
• 1 bunch of coriander, rinsed and roughly chopped (the coriander roots can also be added into the rice before cooking to enhance the flavour)
• 1 stalk of spring onion, rinsed and roughly chopped, white parts included
• 2 stalks of mint, leaves only
• 1/2 a cube of chicken stock
• 1 tbsp of sesame oil
• 1.5 tbspn of cooled cooked water
• White pepper and salt

1.  Marinate the chicken pieces with the black and light soy sauce, pepper and chinese cooking wine for 10min.

My MIL gave me some nice chinese mushrooms - after rehydrated,
they were plump and thick fleshed

2.  Meanwhile, rinse the rice in a rice pot and add sufficient water for cooking.  Toss in the smashed garlic cloves, coriander roots and 2 slices of ginger.

3.  Add the chicken pieces first, skin down, then the mushroom slices and chinese sausages.  Pour all the marinade on top.  Cover and set to cook.

To make the dipping sauce:

1.  Put all the sauce ingredients into the wet mill and blitz for a few seconds until it becomes a paste and evenly mixed.  Don't overblitz else the herbs will oxidise.  Pour out and adjust the taste.  It should be salty and full bodied.  

ingredients for the dipping sauce - spring onion, young ginger,
coriander and mint

vibrant green colour of the sauce

This post is linked to the event Little Thumbs Up organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours