This Clay Pot Rice is a perfect Chinese comfort food dish. Incredible flavor, silky chicken with a good balance with the rice. Easy dish to prepare, one pot meal. I loved to garnish with cilantro, scallions and chilli padi for the spicy kick.

Ingredients
For the chicken and mushroom mixture:
15 dried shiitake mushrooms (small to medium size)
1 cup dried lily flowers
1/4 cup dried wood ear mushrooms
3 drumstick (chopped smaller pieces)
3 tbspn cornstarch
3 tbspn light soy sauce
3 tsps oyster sauce
3 tsps dark soy sauce
3 tsps Shaoxing wine
1.5 tsp sugar
1.5 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp white pepper

For the rice:
3 cup basmati rice
3 cup low sodium chicken stock (or water)
Pinch of salt
3 tbsp oil
3 slice ginger (finely julienned)
3 scallion (finely chopped; green parts and white parts separated)

Instructions
1. Add the dried mushrooms, dried lily flowers, and dried wood ears to 3 separate bowls. Cover with boiling water, and soak for 2 hours, or until rehydrated. Dried wood ears take a longer time

2. Squeeze excess water out of the soaked shiitake mushrooms, trim away any tough stems, and cut them in half. Trim the tough ends off the soaked lily flowers, and cut them in half crosswise. Rinse the wood ears well of any dirt or grit, and trim away any tough parts. If they’re very large, cut in half.

3. Add the rehydrated mushrooms, lily flowers, and wood ears to a medium mixing bowl, along with the chicken, cornstarch, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, sesame oil, salt, and white pepper. Toss all the ingredients to combine, and set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes (can do this up to 1 day in advance).

4. Add the rice to the clay pot, and cover with 2 inches of water. Soak for 25 minutes, then pour off all the water (as best you can), and then add the 1 cup chicken stock (or mushroom water), salt, and oil. Mix well.

5. Even out the layer of rice. Stir the chicken and mushroom mixture until the chicken has absorbed all of the liquid in the marinade, and distribute the mixture evenly on top of the rice.

6. Sprinkle the julienned ginger and the white parts of the chopped scallion over the top, and cover the pot. Place over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, until the liquid in the pot is simmering. Then turn down the heat to the lowest setting. Cook for about 25 minutes (or 30 minutes for bone-in chicken), until the chicken and the rice are cooked through. Garnish with the green parts of the scallions and serve!