Tasty one-pot rice (有味飯)

(serves 6-8)

This dish is not exactly healthy, but it is rather quick (especially if you prepare some of it the night before). It is a very Cantonese dish (i think), as it incorporates the preserved Chinese sausages (unfortunately full of fat but actually quite tasty), shiitake mushrooms and fish tofu ~ they all end up like little treasures in the rice!

Chinese pork sausages (dried, preserved and slightly sweet)

 It is a bit of a lazy dish, with all the protein and carbohydrates all combined. The Chinese name means 'flavoursome rice', and it really does give boiled rice a run for it's money! 

Prep time: 10 min
Cooking time: 20-30 min

Ingredients
500g chicken thigh fillet
5-6 shiitake mushrooms (soaked overnight, or at least 3-4 hours if dried)
3-4 chinese sausages (臘腸)
200g fish tofu
2 C rice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chicken bouillon
1 1/2 T soy sauce
1/2 T sesame oil
1 sprig of green shallot, finely chopped

Marinade (for chicken):
2 T soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cornflour
1/2 tsp sesame oil
pinch of white pepper

Method
1. Cut the chicken into thin strips and marinate in soy sauce, sugar, salt, cornflour, sesame oil and white pepper. Leave for at least 30 minutes, or ideally overnight.
2. Prepare the mushrooms by soaking them overnight (if dried).
3. Prepare the ingredients by thinly slicing the mushrooms and sausages. Cut the fish tofu into small 0.5cm squares.

4. When ready to cook, prepare the rice by washing it and placing in the rice-cooker with 2 C water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon. Start the rice-cooker.
5. Heat a pan on medium heat, add 1/2 T oil then add the chicken and sauté for 3-5 minutes until brown. Add in the sliced mushrooms and sauté for another 3 minutes. Add in the fish tofu and the Chinese sausages and cook for another few minutes until all ingredients are cooked.

6. Add the cooked ingredients into the rice cooker (hopefully the rice should be mostly cooked by this stage). 
NB. The shortcut is to place the raw ingredients into the rice cooker with the raw rice and just cook everything in the rice cooker. However mum said that when she has done this it has caused the rice-cooker to stop early, leaving the rice not fully cooked. So i guess it's ok but do at your own risk?
7. After the rice is cooked, turn off the heat and allow it to steam with the lid on for a few extra minutes. Then remove the lid and add the 1 1/2 T soy sauce and 1/2 T sesame oil into the rice cooker and mix thoroughly.

8. Serve with chopped shallots on top, and a side of green vegetables!