Sunday 7 July 2013

Ricepot Chicken Rice


Initially I wanted to call this post My Fake Claypot Chicken Rice because I cooked the rice in the rice cooker and then served it in a claypot.  I have seen a few similar recipes but I assure you that I have been pulling this stunt from way back. I actually got the idea from watching my mum cook dog food. Does this sound gross?



When I was in secondary school, my family lived in a government quarters in Batu Buruk, Kuala Terengganu. One fine day, a dog gave birth to a few puppies inside an abandoned guardhouse behind our home. It was a rainy weekend when my parents "kidnapped" two puppies. I still remember my mum wearing my brother's Ultraman helmet (hee..hee..hee...she was just protecting herself from the rain, but still..hee..hee..hee..) and carrying a puppy in her hands. 



My dad carried the other one, a brown coloured pup with a permanent frown that was named Brownie. The puppy my mum carried was white with black patches around her eyes. My dad had already christened her "Tapung" which means patches in Malay.



Tapung and Brownie were so cute and I was totally smitten with Tapung. As I type this, I feel like crying because suddenly I miss her so much. Sobs!!! My brother and I had to take the "sumpah" (swearing as in cross my heart and hope to die kind of thing) in front of my mum that we will clean up after the puppies and take responsibility for caring for them or else they will have to go



Love is blind and I willingly wiped and cleaned after the puppies did their thing on the floor. I also bathed them. My mum also loved the puppies very much and did most of the cleaning up.


Chinese sausages.

I loved Tapung so much that I used to carry her and let her sit on my lap. I would look at her paws and marvel at how soft the pads of her feet were. You see, Tapung and Brownie were kept indoors because their mother was still outside the house. She would bark looking for them and the two pups would respond by barking back. 


Marinated chicken and shiitake mushrooms.
Later on when the mother dog went away, my brother and I would take our puppies to the garden and play. And of course, to let them do their "business" outside. We continued to keep them in the house until we moved to our own home in Chendering. There, they lived outside and had plenty of space to move around. And they grew into fine doggies.


Add rice to the stir fried ingredients.
We never fed the dogs commercial dog food. My mum would feed them with leftover food but in our home "leftovers" is  a rare thing, us being big eaters with bottomless pits. At most, only bones were left. So my mum would often cook fresh food using pork bones, pig ears and spare parts from the pork seller in town to cook for the doggies.


Transfer to ricepot and add water.
I would observe my mum putting rice into a pot of water and boiling it with the bones/meat or leftovers taken from my grandma and she even adds soya sauce to the mixture. Seriously, sometimes the dog food smelled pretty good. And that's where I got my idea of cooking rice with meat in a pot!


My spring onions on standby beside the rice cooker.
Oh dear, I have deviated from the main topic of this post. This   chicken rice, I tell you is superb! It is full of flavors and best of all it is a simple and hassle free one dish meal. You've got your rice, chicken and mushrooms and all you need is to add a simple stir fried vegetable and you are good to go.











Ricepot Chicken Rice (aka Fake Claypot Chicken Rice)
Recipe soure : Phong Hong
Serves : 3 very big eaters or 5 small eaters (no prizes for guessing which group I am in)

Ingredients for chicken and marinade :
- 2 large chicken legs, cut into bite sizes
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 4 tablespoons light soya sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soya sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- a dash of pepper

Note : This may seem to be a lot of marinade for two chicken legs but you need to flavour the rice too. So might as well whack the all the marinade in at one go.

For the rice :
- 3 cups rice (I use Basmathi rice)
- 3 1/4 cups water
- 2 Chinese sausage (lap cheong), outer casing removed and thinly sliced
- 6 shiitake mushrooms, soaked to soften, stem removed and each cut into two
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 big onion, diced
- 3 stalks spring onions, only the thick white part, sliced
- 1" ginger, thinly sliced
- oil for frying
- 1 small rice bowl of finely sliced spring onions (optional but highly recommended)

Method :
1. Mix chicken and marinade ingredients. Let marinate for 1 hour.
2. Slice the shiitake mushrooms into two and set aside
3. Wash and drain rice. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in wok and fry the Chinese sausages until it is slightly brown. Remove and set aside.
5. In the same oil, fry onions until translucent.
6. Add garlic and ginger and fry until fragrant and garlic is slightly brown.
7. Add chicken together with marinade and mushrooms and fry until chicken is half cooked.
8. Add rice and Chinese sausages and stir to mix evenly. 
9. Transfer everything into a rice cooker, add water and cook the rice as you would normally do.
10. When the rice is cooked, immediately add spring onions, a dash of pepper and fluff the rice to evenly distribute the spring onions and pepper. Cover the rice pot for about 1o minutes before serving.






Photobucket

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by Alvin of Chef and Sommelier

69 comments:

  1. This looks too good....you even have time to do the dainty knot on the chopstick! I baru baham nasi biryani today,,,cooked the same way as you did, just different spices :)

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    1. Hi cousin! Actually that dainty knot was already there. The chopsticks came in a Chinese New Year hamper my brother gave me a few years ago. Wah, nasi biryani is something I have been wanting to cook. OK, that is my next project!

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  2. Hey Phong Hong! Another interesting story!

    So your doggies got to eat the rice from claypots too? :D

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    1. Goodness, no Alvin! Hah! Hah! They had their special bowls and this post brought back memories of my family's first pet dogs. So sad.....

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    2. What happened to them? Natural death? Are you keeping any pets now?

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    3. My dog, Tapung, sadly was knocked down by a car. She disappeared for a few days and my dad and a neighbour found her dead by the roadside. I cried my eyes out that day. The other dog, Brownie, was given away to our next door neighbour when our family moved to KL. I don't have any pets now as I don't have the time and also I don't want to form any attachments to pets. It is sad when they die :(

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    4. Techincally, I had never kept any pets when I was young. My chicks and rabbits all ended up on the dining table (Thanks to Granny) when they grew up! I cried too when I found out and couldn't bear to eat a single piece although it was my favourite fried chicken!!!! :D

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    5. Oh dear, I understand how you felt. You see, my dad also reared some chickens (he loves gardening and probably aspire to be a farmer hah! hah!) and ducks for fun. One day he "harvested" one of the chickens. When we found out, we just couldn't eat that chicken dish. It's like eating your own friend! So what happened to the rest of the chickens and ducks? They were given away to our gardener.

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  3. Haha my mum also cooks fresh food (rice + chicken) for my dogs every evening. Lucky dogs, I say!

    Your fake chicken rice is so nice... I would love it!

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    1. Yen, your dogs are very lucky indeed! I think they would prefer your mum's food rather than commercial dog food.

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  4. Kak Phong Hong,
    Haha my mum also cook doggies food like that.

    Love your fake clay pot chicken rice.
    I must cook this since you love it I know I will too!
    Thanks for linking to LTU:)

    By the way I have some mugwort plant in my back yard, if you like to try some I can send some to you.
    You can also plant some in your backyard if you like them. They can be grow easily.
    Have a lovely Sunday.
    mui

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    1. Adek mui mui, thank you for the offer! I KIV first OK, because my garden is in a mess again. I have been trying to tidy up so that it don't look like jungle. Hah! Hah! Your doggies must be very happy to get home cooked food :)

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  5. Ahhhhh!!!! Claypot chicken rice. I like...but I prefer stewed pork belly and with salted fish added. Slurpssss!!!!

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    1. Ooohhh....stewed pork belly and salted fish even better! I must do that version next time :)

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  6. I love this, it is more easy to cook with rice pot instead!

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    1. Jozelyn, definitely easier and less risk of burning the rice. I don't know how to cook rice on the stove. So shy!

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  7. Hi Phong Hong,I cooked something like this yesterday but I didn't use chicken. I used big dried oysters, dried prawns and other ingredients the same as yours. Since I'm cooking only for 3 persons, I steamed it so that nothing goes to waste [meaning rice sticking to the pot]. Whichever, all are yummy...

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    1. Kimmy, wah your claypot rice is so luxurious with dried oysters! I am sure it is very delicious. There are so many variations and ingredients to cook with. And best of all it is a simple dish and yet so delicious.

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  8. I can imagine the dog foods that your mom prepared is nice too, hehehe.so much easy to cook with rice cooker , then serve in clay pot , also can call as claypot chicken rice mar..,

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    1. Sonia, my dad actually tasted the dog food because smell so nice. Some more he tell my mum it is delicious! Hah! Hah!

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  9. Wah nice clay pot chicken rice. I don't have clay pot always cook with rice cooker hehe.. Clay pot is one of the items in my shopping list when I go back to Msia next week

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    1. Li Shuan, you are coming back to Malaysia? Wah, hope you have a great holiday here. Then you must go shopping and get your claypots and other stuff to bring back.

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  10. yummy yummy ricepot chicken rice..My grandma also cook dog food the same way as your mum but I am not sure if she added any soy sauce..

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    1. Stephanie, our dogs are so lucky to get home cooked food :) This ricepot chicken rice is one of my favourite foods and it is so simple to cook.

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    2. yes..just put everything in a pot,i did it sometimes too but I always did it with agak agak way, just put the sauce/flavouring according to my own way..saying simple,we still need to marinate and prepare this and that, only thing is we can sit back while it has all gone into the pot and cooking

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  11. Love this claypot rice, definitely comfort food for me!

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    1. Same thing for me, Mich! But I tend to over eat :(

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  12. This surely is a nice pot of all in one meal, love the generous amount of ingredients and how the rice looks nice and dry :)

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    1. Thanks! I love to eat this rice with lots of chillies :)

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  13. Phong hong, i like this version also, this is more easy to cook. if i feel lazy to , this is the best choose to cook a yummy rice. xi........

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    1. xing hui, I like lazy style of cooking. The best part is that it turns out so delicious!

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  14. i know a friend of my mum, also a dog lover, occasionally cook fried rice for her dog, even put oyster sauce and most of the time the dog eats what she eats too. Lucky dog..hehe..
    most of the time i cook claypot rice also in a rice cooker :)

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    1. Lena, this is the first time I hear about doggie eat fried rice! Hee..hee..very lucky doggie.

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  15. I bet the dog food must be very yummy too ..... as it was well plan and prepared for them... how lucky they are.

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    1. Mel, the dog food was so yummy that my dad actually tasted it! And he said it was good hah! hah!

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  16. Replies
    1. Thanks, Veronica! Make it tripple Yummy!

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  17. Hi Phong Hong, your fake claypot rice look extremely good. One of my favorite too with extra salted fish. Thanks for sharing your innovative ideas. :))

    Have a nice day.

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    1. Hi Amelia, I forgot about the salted fish lah. Next time I will put salted fish and it will make the rice even yummier. You have a nice day too :)

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  18. Yum-Yum it looks so delicious I like rice cook in this way haven't done this for a long long time I think I will cook this tomorrow for dinner It will taste better if you cook in clay pot I must go and look for one Back home I will use the clay pot to cook this and at times porridge When we were staying in Taiping I will asked the chicken rice man to give all the heads and necks WE always eat in his shop with that I will cook rice for our 2 dogs the boys will say I cook for the dogs better then I cook for them one day I caught them eating the rice and they say yummy Chicken rice smell and taste

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    1. EE, you gave me 3 claypots remember? You can take back one of them and cook your claypot chicken rice. I am sure cucu will love it :)

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    2. no lah I won't take back.I only want to take back your cooking

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  19. looks delicious (let's forget the dogs food;))

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    1. Hah! Hah! OK, Ola we forget about dog food :)

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  20. i vaguely remember you dad mentioned Tapong...were you still in KT when grandpa asked your dad to kidnap my dog home? needless to say, I kicked up a big stink :( and your dad got a black Labrador instead ...

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    1. I don't remember that incident. Hah! Hah! My dad is a good dog kidnapper :)

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  21. OMG I totally do this too!I call it my fake claypot rice too haha! It's just so much easier to do things in a rice cooker I think I'll die without my trust baby pink rice cooker hehe. I also use basmati rice, just because it's my favourite variety and less prone to "sticking" than jasmine rice. This is *exactly* how I do it, I'm not even kidding.

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    1. Shu Han, great minds think alike, eh? My rice cooker is also very precious to me. I just love tossing stuff with rice into it and it always turns out yums!

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  22. Hi Phong Hong,
    I remember when I was small, we had a pet dog too. My mom would give him leftover fish and sometimes fry a whole fish just for him, flake out the meat and mix with the rice with whatever gravy we are having that day. But I don't remember cleaning after him, I think my mom did that!
    Your claypot rice looks delicious, I would sometimes cook this in a claypot and sometimes in a rice cooker, really depending on my mood! Haha!

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    1. Joyce, we tend to pamper our dogs as they are very loving and loyal creatures. But it gets sad when it is time to say goodbye. I am very sappy when it comes to these things and therefore I don't want anymore pets. This claypot rice is one of my weakness as I will eat a lot!

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  23. Hi Phong Hong, I can tell your whole family loves animals very much. I've 1 dog and a cat. They're very attached to each other from young and they follow me whenever I'm around the house. I used to cook meat dust in rice cooker for the dog once in a while.
    Oh back to your ricepot chicken rice.... this is how I cook, very yummy.

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    1. Ann, how lovely to have a cat and a dog at the same time! We do get very emotionally attached to them don't we? I do wish I had a nice doggie but I am so busy at work and won't have much time to play with it. Also I don't want to get sad when it is time to say goodbye.

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  24. Aw, I loved hearing about your two sweet pet dogs! And your ricepot looks so tasty!

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    1. Thanks, Lizzy! I do miss my pet dogs very much. I was almost on the verge of tears when writing this post. Sappy aren't I? Hah! Hah!

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  25. Hi Phong Hong,

    I laughed reading some parts of your "conversation" with Alvin... Cheeky Alvin!

    Fake claypot rice??? I laughed when I first read how you described your claypot... Your rice can be fake... only cheating lah! I reckon cooking claypot rice using claypot can be quite tricky but I always love feasting the burnt bottom if there is any :p I know yours wouldn't have any.

    Zoe

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    1. Zoe, hah! hah! Alvin is mischievous :) I love the real claypot rice that I used to eat from the hawkers. The claypot does give it that extra special flavour. Oh, you like the burnt part. I find it strange that some people like it :)

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  26. Phong Hong your ricepot chicken rice looks awesome and delicious, can sell at hawker at a super good price :)

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    1. Hah! Hah! Might not taste as good as the hawker's. Esther, must use claypot like you did to get the authentic taste :)

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  27. i was laughing real hard when you mentioned about how you got the idea from your mum while she was cooking dog food :) very nice btw, and i am moved to try! :)

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    1. Hi Sibu Food Diva! Who would have thought that dog food could be so inspiring :)

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  28. Aiyooo PH! Like that one ahh??? I never heard people cook food for dog. You know lah in Malaysia, and I am Malay, i hardly got to see or go to houses who have dogs. But i selalu geram tgk dog yang comel. M sad your dog died. RIP to Tapung and hope Brownie got the love he/she deserved. When I was small, bila nak dekat dog ajer, sure lah orang tua kata, "jangan long, nanti dia gigit....bla bla bla etc...but now living in California....owh my...do i love to pet a dog everytime i see one. We love the Therapy Dog at our library here and my son and daughter will read books for the dog.. My neighbor happened to have pitbul dog, black and name Darla. OMG!!! Darla is a sweetheart. Eventho the fence is our barrier that doesn't stop me to pet her, and my daughter and son love to manja the dog..hihi...

    ok back to this recipe, of coz i cannot put certain thing, but i nak tweak dia little bit. Can I just use rice cooker sebab i langsung takda claypot PH! I hope it works coz i really nak try.

    PH:~ I love it when you said you like Lazy style cooking!!!! That is SOOO ME!!!
    Love you PH!!!!!

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    1. Hi Yuss Russ! Thanks for your concern about my dogs. Sobs!! Dogs are very affectionate animals and they are very loving too. I also cannot tahan when I see cute dogs especially puppies. Geram! This rice memang can cook in rice cooker. I put in the claypot just to tipu-tipu ajer...Gaya lebih heh..heh..If I cook in the claypot, guarantee hangus! Do try this rice, it is great even without the non-halal stuff :)

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  29. Aiyo....i wan to do it today...i takda shitake mushroom, tapi i ada tu chinese selalu pakai cendawan yang kering tu PH, ia akan rendam kan dia, first, pastu I akan cari lagi apa yang i boleh letak....sooo nak buat hari ini, coz my stepson pun ada sini today. He is such a picky eater, but I guaratee he sure like this one. As for my kids, they all tak kisah, to them apa yang ibu masak semua sedap..hahaha....angkat bakul sendiri..hihi...ok , i will let you know if really i buat today and I will update you okay PH? :)

    And yes, dulu i tak tau kenapa orang ada dog, sampai bagi masuk rumah semua, tapi sekarang ni, jika pegi rumah kawan and dia ada dog, and the dog bersih, and so manja, wahhh....i feel for them...one of my friend punya pitbul, sedang sakit di KL, i yg sedih sebab pernah jumpa the dog and the dog come and play in my house. i have a picture with the dog. She such a good dog. I really tak sangka. Dog is a Man's bestfriend, and dog such a loyal animal PH
    :'( !!! I love to have dog, tapi, orang kat umah ni sume allergy ngan dog la pulakkkkk...ishhhhh.......sneeze non stop masing masing...

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    1. Yuss Russ, that cendawan kering is shiitake lah...hee..hee..You are lucky that your kids are easy when it comes to food. As for your stepson I guess you have to kindly accommodate him which I am sure you do! Not all stepmothers are evil, right? Hee..hee...Hope all of you enjoy this lazy style rice :)

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  30. PH!! hahaha, iye lah you are right, that is shitake mushroom...sorrylah i blur sikit...hahha...yup, i tried my best all the time when ever my stepson is here with me...he's a very picky eater so i have to really careful with what i cook. Nothing spicy, no nuts, no curry, no coconut milk etc have to be involved. SO far, I always ask him first what he wishes to eat for dinner, or i will ask him first if i want to cook something, if he agree or if he feel he wanted to eat something else.....yeahh PH...M no evil step mom :) .... lucky him...and yup, i made this dish, tapi lupa lah pula nak snap pic...but i think my dark sauce, make the rice darker...next time i know i won't use the dark sauce so much....but...it's so sedap PH...my anak2 sukaaaaaaa :) ....thank you PH <3 !!!

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    1. Yuss, glad to hear that the rice turned out sedap! I don't mind more dark sauce because I seem to think that darker is more delicious. Like ayam masak kicap :)

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    2. PH....Ayam masak kicap is my faveret...hahha...mak selalu make for me either ayam atau telor masak kicap, regardless for sahur atau buka puasa....memang sedapp...simple aje....

      But i nak try the rice macam you punya colour ni PH...will do it next time...I am still browsing your yummy recipe....Thank you PH :) !!!

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    3. Happy browsing, Yuss!

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  31. Dah tau dah the old old story pasal Tapung ngan Brownie. Ohhh itulah terhasilnya idea nak buat potrice ni....good idea... masak pun senang. Sekali harung dah siap boleh makan hahahah

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