Easy claypot rice and apple with pork ribs soup :)

Today is another recipe day:) Since I knock off work early enough, I decided to make claypot rice (cheater version using rice cooker) and apple with pork ribs soup. It turned out delicious :) Kansei loved the claypot rice as usual...:) In his words, "Very nice darling!" The soup he finds it a little sweet but it's really purely due to the apples haha.. I kinda like the refreshing soup, a nice change from vegetables soup. The natural sweetness of the apples in the broth is deliciously good in my opinion!

Claypot rice done cheater's style i.e. using a rice cooker

Recipe for Claypot Rice (cheater style)

Prep time: 20 min                                             Cook time: 45 min (rice cooker timing)

Ingredients (serves 3 to 4 persons): 

- 2 cups of rice (jasmine white rice)

- 350 grams of boneless chicken fillet or breast (cut into bite sized pieces)

- marinate for the chicken fillet/breast (1 tspn light soy sauce, 1 tspn sesame oil, 2 tspn oyster sauce and a dash of pepper) 

- 1 chinese sausage (with wax covering removed)

- spring onion (to be used as garnish)

Step (1) (prep step) Marinate the chicken fillet with 1 tspn light soy sauce, 1 tspn sesame oil, 2 tspn oyster sauce and a dash of pepper. For convenience, I use a glove to mix and massage the chicken, making sure every piece is coated with the goodness. After mixing, cover the bowl with cling wrap and send it to fridge, keep it in there for at least an hour so that chicken can soak up the sauce. 

Marinated chicken fillet with all the goodness

Step (2) (prep step) Slice the chinese sausage, preferably in a diagonal fashion. Today, I sliced it normally as I found the chinese sausage slippery to hold and didn't want to risk cutting my fingers. 

Sliced chinese sausage

Step (3) (prep step) Wash 2 cups of rice, usually I wash 3 rinses or until the water runs clear. Add 2 cups and a little bit more water to the pot. Leave the water on pot to soak the rice until ready to cook. Usually for at least 1 hour. I found the soaking to help the rice bloat and aids in absorbing all the marinate and fragrance of the rice. The soaking also ensures that the rice is separated from each grain :):):) 

Panasonic rice cooker that serves me well

Step (4) (cook step) Pour the marinated chicken and chinese sausage into the soaked rice, top up with a little more water and stir around to ensure that the rice is mixed well with the ingredients. Set the rice to cook. Takes around 45 min on my Panasonic rice cooker as shown, when set at White Rice setting. 

Using the keep warm function to steam the rice for 20 min

Step (5) (cook step) After the rice cooker sounds, open the cover and stir the rice around. Amazingly, the rice cooks perfectly and the no rice will be stuck at the bottom of the pot! After stirring, let the rice steam for about 20 min more to ensure that the rice becomes dryer, less sticky and that the chicken and chinese sausage is cooked through. 

Step (6) (garnish) Serve claypot rice with chopped spring onions as garnish and chili padi with soy sauce. Enjoy! 

Delicious claypot rice best served warm. 

Recipe for Apple Pork Ribs Soup 

Prep time: 10 min                                                     Cook time: 90 min 

Ingredients (serves 3 to 4 persons): 

- 4 apples (dad in law suggested 2 apples instead so that soup won't be so sweet but I like the refreshing sweetness of this soup. So maybe compromise at 3 apples? haha...)
- 1000ml of water (2 soup bowls of water)
- 250 grams of spare ribs
- 1 large onion, peeled and cut into chunks
- 10 small red dates
- a handful of scallops (love this in my soups, is optional though)
- salt to taste

Step (1) Cut apples. I love them cut to bite-sized so that can easily pop into mouth to eat. If not cooking immediately, soak in salt water so that apples do not oxidize to brown.

Apples cut to bite-sized

Step (2) Cut onions into chunks. Take out a handful of dried scallop.

A handful of small red dates (about 10) 

Step (3) Blanch the pork ribs for about 10 min to rid the pork ribs of the smell and to ensure that the soup is clear and not cloudy. Put the blanched pork ribs, onions, apples, red dates and dried scallops into a large pot, pour in 1000ml of water and bring to boil. Let it boil for 10 min then simmer for 1.5 hours to ensure that the apples softens, pork is cooked and essence is in the soup :) 

Add all ingredients in pot, bring to boil then simmer. 

Step (4) Season with salt before serving the refreshing soup :):) Enjoy!

Apple Pork Ribs soup! Delicious :):):)