Claypot

She taught me how to make a hotpot and a few Indian dishes like this one, and before I left Melbourne, Juhi taught me how to make the most delicious claypot chicken in black pepper sauce. It was a completely new concept to me and I was in awe. You have to soak the claypot for half an hour and the moisture absorbed by the clay pot releases the steam necessary for cooking the ingredients without any additional liquid and it was some of the tenderest I’ve ever had. From the top of my head (and pictures), we marinated the chicken with fresh chilli, ginger, and garlic and added the bok choy, dehydrated shiitake mushrooms and chicken in layers with the black pepper paste. Then you cook the claypot on a very low heat or in the oven until the chicken is done. We served it with fresh egg noodles which you bring to the boil, adding a tiny bit of chicken stock, remove the liquid and toss with some chives, sesame oil and soy sauce.