Home cook’s guide to Chinese food

Taking favourite recipes from each of China's diverse culinary regions, Ross Dobson simplifies them so you can recreate them with ease at home. Including expert guidance on finding and selecting the key ingredients to stock your pantry, plus step-by-step guides to essential techniques such as blanching greens and making dumplings, this book will have you turning out favourite dishes like spicy Shanghai noodles, fragrant beef hotpot and Hainan chicken rice in no time. Also included is a detailed meal planner with suggestions on how to put together a truly fabulous Chinese feast.

Clay pot cooking is convenient and produces very tasty results. All the flavours are trapped inside the pot, ready to be released when the lid is lifted at the dining table.

Try this tasty clay pot chicken with Chinese sausage and shiitake mushrooms.

3 skinless and boneless chicken thigh fillets, each cut into 4 pieces

2 spring onions, white and green parts finely-sliced and separated

5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely- sliced

1 tbsp oyster sauce

6 medium dried shiitake mushrooms

300g jasmine rice

2 Chinese sausages (lap cheong), sliced

• Combine the chicken and oyster sauce in a bowl. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.

• Meanwhile, put the mushrooms in a heatproof bowl. Pour over enough boiling water to cover and leave for 30 minutes until the mushrooms are soft.

• Drain and reserve 120ml of the soaking liquid. Trim off the stems and discard. Cut each cap into quarters and set aside.

• Wash the rice in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear. Drain well and put the rice in a 20cm clay pot or saucepan.

• Add 600ml cold water and place over high heat. When the water boils and forms bubbling holes in the rice, reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for 10 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated.

• Scatter the chicken and the marinade over the rice. Put the mushrooms and sausage on top of the chicken, then scatter with the spring onions and ginger.

• Cover and cook for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.