Method
1
Rehydrate the dried shiitake
Follow the separate dried-shiitake tutorial above: rinse, fully submerge in warm water and soak for about 30 minutes until the centres are soft; thick caps may need longer. Discard the water, trim tough stems and slice. Soaking does not replace thorough cooking.
2
Prepare and marinate the chicken
Prepare the ginger, garlic and spring onions first, then use a separate clean board for the chicken. Cut the thighs into pieces about 2.5 cm across; do not rinse raw chicken. Mix with 15 ml light soy sauce, the oyster sauce, white pepper and half the ginger and garlic. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3
Start the rice cooker
Rinse and drain the rice, then put it in the cooker. For 300 g rice, about 450 ml fresh water is a starting guide; the rice packet and cooker manual take priority, including any measuring-cup and fill-line instructions. Use the normal programme appropriate for white rice. This step cooks rice only, with no raw chicken added.
4
Simmer the mushrooms first
As the rice starts cooking, heat the oil in a small lidded pan over a medium heat. Stir the remaining ginger and garlic and the spring onion whites for about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, 250 ml fresh water and the remaining 10 ml light soy sauce. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes. Add a little hot water if the pan is drying out.
5
Add the chicken and cook thoroughly
Add the chicken and all its marinade. Bring back to the boil, cover and simmer gently for about 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mushrooms will have simmered for 40–45 minutes in total. Check several of the thickest chicken pieces with a clean food thermometer: the centre must reach 75°C for 30 seconds. Continue cooking if needed; the time is only a guide. Once the chicken is fully cooked, uncover and reduce the liquid to about 30–45 ml of concentrated sauce.
6
Fold together and serve
Once the rice is cooked, fold in the still-hot chicken, mushrooms and reduced sauce. Close the lid and use the cooker's keep-warm function, following its manual, for 5–10 minutes with the lid closed. Keep-warm is not a cooking stage for raw meat. Scatter over the spring onion greens, gently mix and serve immediately.
Cooking tips
- Each batch uses 20 g dried shiitake. A 90 g pack makes four batches, with about 10 g left over.
- Grind whole white pepper just before use, or crush it gently in a clean sealed bag. Start with a little so it does not overpower the mushrooms.
- Soaking time varies with mushroom size and thickness. Check that they are fully soft and follow the current pack preparation and thorough-cooking instructions.
- This method cooks the topping separately. For raw chicken cooked with rice, use a separate manufacturer-approved meat or mixed-rice recipe and programme, including its capacity and liquid guidance; do not simply transfer this recipe to a quick-rice cycle.
- Replace the oyster sauce with 15 g mushroom-based vegetarian stir-fry sauce if preferred; the flavour and allergens may differ. A gluten-free version requires both soy sauce and oyster sauce to be labelled gluten-free, alongside checking the other ingredients.
- Other long-grain white rice can replace jasmine rice. Follow the rice packet and cooker water guidance. Brown rice needs different water and cooking times, so do not use it as a direct substitution.
Allergens
Usually contains soya, wheat/cereals containing gluten and molluscs (oysters in oyster sauce). Check every sauce label for additional allergens. Xianyitang's mushroom and white-pepper packaging information states that they are packed in a facility that also handles peanuts, tree nuts, sesame and soya.
Storage and reheating
Best eaten freshly cooked. Divide leftovers into small portions and cool promptly, ideally refrigerating within one hour; do not leave rice in the cooker to cool slowly. Eat refrigerated leftovers within 24 hours. Reheat only once, stirring and checking that the whole dish is steaming hot, then eat immediately.
