Simple dish: Rice cooker claypot rice

When I was young, my mum loves to cook one dish meal as she finds it a bother to think  and cook 3 dishes and 1 soup which is typical for a Chinese meal. So my sis and I grew up on mee rebus, laksa, mee sian, fried rice, chicken rice..... etc. It wasn't till my secondary school days that I realised that meals in my family were different from my friends'. They were pretty envious that my weekend meals were so exciting! If only they knew, it was due to my mum's "laziness".

I had my mum to thank for being so adventurous in food... since young, she has exposed us to the different Asian cuisines in Singapore and Asia as she loves them and loves to travel. I have known of friends who have never tasted Singaporean Indian food except Roti Prata till they were earning their own money as their mums weren't as adventurous.

Since my overseas work stint in 2009, I have also learnt the beauty of one dish meals. They are simple and easy and just nice for 1 person or maybe 2. Most importantly, less to clean up and wash up! As you can tell, that's the part I dislike most about cooking and baking.

Last Friday, I cooked a simple claypot rice in rice cooker for lunch when a friend popped by to bake. Eating lunch at my nearby hawker centre was getting a little boring.

Rice Cooker Claypot rice (Serves 2)

1 cup uncooked Thai Rice
200g Chicken fillet, cubed
3 strips Turkey Bacon
3 dried Chinese Mushrooms, soaked
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
white pepper
spring onions/coriander (garnish)

1) Marinate the chicken fillet with the sesame oil, oyster sauce, light soya sauce, dark soya sauce and pepper.
2) Slice the turkey bacon and the Chinese mushrooms
3) Wash the Thai rice
4) Add water to cook the rice following the marks on the rice cooker.
5) Add in the chicken fillet together with the marinade, turkey bacon and chinese mushrooms into the rice cooker and start the rice cooker.
6) When the claypot rice is cooked, add more dark soya sauce and seasame oil (if desired) to the rice.
7) Serve the claypot rice with chopped spring onions or coriander.

This is one of my favourite one dish meals and I make them whenever I have turkey bacon in the fridge.

I served the claypot rice with a spinach soup last Friday. I used the thermal pot to cook Ikan Bilis together with red dates for stock and added spinach and wolfberry just before serving.