One-Dish Wonder

The beauty of a 1-dish meal...


easy to prepare, and super-easy to clean up!


I am blessed with non-fussy eaters at home, they eat whatever meals I lay on the dining table, except for the occasional groans whenever I serve congee or porridge for lunch. I am not shy to say that I take advantage of those forgiving taste buds. Whenever possible, I'll go for simple dinners which need minimum preparation...which also means minimum skills required. That's probably why my culinary skill never seems to improve over the years ^_^


Baked rice happens to be one of our favourite 1-dish meals. However, I try not to turn it into a regular item in our dinner menu. I believe this dish is quite fattening...with the cream and cheese that goes into it!


We had this seafood baked rice the other night. Loaded with fresh prawns, lala (clams), sotong (squids) and fish fillet. I couldn't get salmon, so I had to settle for batang (Spanish Mackerel).


This 1-dish meal did a great job of uniting the savoury flavours of the various seafood ingredients. The rice was full of flavour after soaking up all the natural sweetness from the prawns and clams. It will certainly quench any seafood lover’s appetite...and of course, I love seafood ;')


Seafood Baked Rice

Ingredients
(serves 4)

2 cups** uncooked rice
200g prawns, with shells
100g clams
1 squid, cut into thick rings
200g fish fillet, cut into thick slices
some mixed vegetables
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup (250ml) heavy cream
1/2 cup (125ml) water
salt and pepper
some grated mozzarella cheese

Method:

1. Wash and cook rice with rice cooker.
2. Wash and prepare prawns, clams, squid and fish slices.
3. Heat up a large, deep pan, with some cooking oil. Stir fry minced garlic and add in the seafood ingredients. Add in the mixed vegetables. (Do not cook the seafood till done as it will continue to cook in the oven.)
4. Add in the cream, stir well. Add in water and bring to a boil. (Note, always add cream BEFORE water, otherwise the mixture may not be smooth.)
5. Add in the cooked rice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir and let it cook for 1 to 2 mins or until the sauce is almost fully absorbed by the rice.
6. Place rice into a heatproof baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
7. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 220 degC, till the cheese turns golden brown. Sprinkle with some dried parsley. Serve immediately.
   Note: ** refers to the rice cup that comes with the rice cooker.
   
   Recipe source: adapted from 懒人焗烤