Sa Po Fan

Did chicken claypot rice in a paella pan. Turns out quite well as the blue steel based paella pan is conducive to working up the burnt crust we like in a sa po fan. The paella pan heats very rapidly and passes the heat directly to the rice, which then burns a bit and sticks to the pan.

Because it is in a big pan, you need some way of evenly cooking the rice so it turns moist and plump. In my case, I used my steam oven.

This recipe uses everything in an entire chicken, which I like. I also took out quite a bit of skin and fat.

1. Buy one chicken (smallish to medium) and debone it. 
2. Wash 2.5 cups rice, and then dry it in the sun for several hours over a sieve.
3. Remove as much skin and fat as possible. Left the skin on the chicken wings though. Chop meat into 3-4cm pieces (except chicken wings).
4. Marinate meat with about equal weight of low sodium soya sauce, dark soya sauce. Add a bit of scallop sauce (or oyster sauce), a few dashes of fish sauce, pepper and a capful of brandy (did not feel like buying a bottle of chinese wine just for this). Leave for at least several hours in fridge.
5. Take the bones, neck, feet, scraps of meat (sans skin and visible fat) and make chicken stock with one leek, bunch of spring onions, dried mushrooms, garlic, knob of ginger and a dash of fish sauce.
6. Steps 1-5 can be done way ahead of time.
7. slice 5 lap cheong thinly. Saute in medium low heat in pan until fat from lap cheong renders out  and lap cheong brown - about 20 mins. Remove lap cheong and leave fat in pan.
8. saute salted fish (about 1/2 to 3/4 of a small fillet, broken into small pieces) in the oil. Then when fragrant, add sliced garlic (about 5 bulbs worth). May have to add a bit more vegetable oil if rendered lap cheong fat not enough. Saute a bit more.
9. add dried rice and gently fold in the rice, coating it with the oil.
10. Add the marinated chicken pieces, taking care not to add the excess marinate. 
11. Fold the chicken into the rice. 
12. Add sliced fresh shitake.
13. Add 3 cups of chicken stock (skim stock to remove chicken fat).
14. Put into steamer and steam 30 mins.
15. Take out from steamer, and then turn the heat to high on stove top. Put the paella pan on top and heat until you hear a crackling sound and smoke coming out (open windows, turn fan on, turn cooker hood on). Lower heat, wait for smoke to dissipate, and repeat for 4-5 times.
16. Sprinkle fresh chopped spring onions on top.
17. Just before dinner, steam in oven for a minute or two. Serve hot. Use large metal spoon to break crust and mix into rice.

forgot to take pic until we had served ourslves. Oopsie