Aubergine claypot rice

The night before you plan to serve the dish, place the shiitake mushrooms in a bowl of cold water to rehydrate

The next day, drain the mushrooms, finely slice and set aside. Wash the rice well 3 or 4 times to get rid of as much starch as possible – this will create a fluffy rather than sticky end result. Drain through a sieve and set aside

Combine the stir-fry sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil in a bowl and set aside

Put the rice and water into a claypot and cover with a lid. Bring the water to the boil on a medium heat, turn down to low and simmer for 15 minutes without opening the lid at all

While the rice cooks, place the aubergine in a bowl and massage with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Fry in a hot dry frying pan until lightly charred on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside

Place a wok over a medium-high heat and pour in a drizzle of vegetable oil. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Increase the heat and add the sliced mushrooms, stir-frying for a few more minutes, then add the sauce and bring to the boil. Place the aubergine into the boiling sauce and lower the heat to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes

After the rice has been cooking for 15 minutes, open the lid and spoon the cooked aubergine and mushroom mixture over the rice. Pour a tablespoon of vegetable oil all the way around the edge of the claypot so the oil runs down the sides to the bottom. Cover and cook for 3 more minutes. Open the lid and spoon another tablespoon of oil around the edge of the claypot, cover once again and cook for another 3–4 minutes. Do not be tempted to stir the topping mixture and the rice together

Take the claypot off the heat and allow it to sit for 5 minutes with the lid on before serving. Once cooked, spoon into bowls and garnish with the coriander