Recipe: Claypot Chicken Rice without Claypot

I am lazy by nature, very lazy. If I were to choose something to describe my laziness, it's probably snake. Yeah, I am kind of like a snake. I don't like to move around too much, unless I really have to, for example: when I have to eat or when nature calls. My perfect way of spending time is just to sit around and do nothing. In my opinion, being idle is one of life's greatest luxuries. Sitting around, lying about, curling up in a ball on the couch, in the bed, just do nothing. Well, throw in some day dreaming here and there...you get the idea. But I feel lazier than usual recently. I must have been bitten by a giant lazy bug--I am lethargic, unmotivated, sluggish, and blah. My laziness has affected my daily rituals; I haven't mopped my floor for two weeks, haven't cleaned the kitchen countertop in the last three weeks, haven't vacuumed since last month. (Yeah, my house will soon become a natural habitat for Spiderman as cobwebs are popping up everywhere.) Perhaps it's just the hot hot summer. The heat drains energy and vitality, plus summer beckons outdoor activities. So, I spend less time in the kitchen and more time outside having fun (which I should be)... I still cook, but I cheat a lot, such as this claypot chicken rice without claypot. For convenience purposes, I used rice cooker. Why not? Who has time to stand there in front of the stove and wait for eternity for the rice to cook in the claypot while there is a do-it-all-by-itself rice cooker? Duh. I have better things to do outside of the kitchen. I am going to enjoy this summer and take things slow. So be prepared to get one or two posts a week from me. Be rest assured, even though I am lazy, I never sacrifice taste or authenticity when it comes to my cooking. OK, I just got lazy again, so I will have to share my recipe later. *wink* Recipe: Claypot Chicken Rice without Claypot Ingredients: 2 cups rice 1 skinless chicken breast & 2 chicken drumsticks 1 stalk scallion (chopped) 3 inches ginger (peel the skin and chop into thin strips) 6 shitake mushrooms (soak in hot water for 30 minutes and cut into halves) 1 small piece salted fish (cut into small pieces) 2 Chinese sausage (sliced) - optional Seasoning for chicken: 2 tablespoons oyster sauce 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon chicken boullion powder 1/2 teaspoon corn starch 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil 5 dashes white pepper powder 1/4 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine (or rice wine) Seasoning for rice: 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce 2 teaspoons cooking oil 1 pinch of salt Method: Chop the chicken breast and chicken drumsticks into pieces. Add the chicken seasoning and mix well. Marinate for an hour in the fridge. Rinse and clean the rice in a rice cooker as if you are making steamed rice after the chicken is marinated for an hour. Add the rice seasoning and cooking oil into the rice and start cooking the rice. At the same time, heat up a wok with some cooking oil. Add in the chicken and shitake mushrooms. Quickly stir-fry the chicken until half-cooked. Add in the chopped scallions. Dish out and set aside. Deep fry the salted fish and set aside. Add the chicken into the rice cooker when the rice is almost dry (about 7-8 minutes) and continue to cook till rice is completely cooked. Leave the rice cooker on "Stay Warm" for 15 - 20 mintues before serving. Top the chicken rice with fried salted fish and serve immediately.