Start your week right with this one-pot meal of coriander chicken and mushroom brown rice that takes just one hour and 20 minutes to whip up - and most of that time is waiting for the rice to cook.

The usual ratio of cooking brown rice is one part of rice to 1 ½ parts of liquid. But as there are other ingredients in the mix which can add moisture, cutting back slightly on the cooking liquid - in this case, chicken stock - helps prevent the rice from being mushy.

For this recipe, I reduce the amount of chicken stock by 25ml. If you find the rice too hard, add a little more stock and let it cook longer until it becomes as soft as you want.

I do not add salt to the rice as I use canned chicken stock for convenience, which contains sodium. If you like it more savoury, add a pinch of salt.

If you do not have chicken stock, substitute with plain water and add 1 heaped teaspoon of salt.

The protein in this one-pot meal is mainly from the chicken. For maximum flavour, marinate the meat the night before or first thing in the morning.

If you are short on time, use a skewer to pierce the meat before marinating it for 15 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

I use fresh shiitake mushrooms as they do not require soaking and are inexpensive.

Although this is a one-pot dish, I pre-fry the rice mixture and meat for extra flavour and colour. I also leave the chicken skin on. You can remove it for a healthier meal, and skip the stir-frying steps.

CORIANDER CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM BROWN RICE

INGREDIENTS

2 boneless chicken legs (800g), cut into 4cm by 4cm bite-sized pieces

50g fresh coriander, chopped

25g garlic, chopped

1/3 tsp ground white pepper

½ tsp salt

2 Tbs cooking oil

80g whole garlic cloves,

lightly bruised

5 fresh shiitake mushrooms

(100g), chopped

2½ cups of brown rice (350g), rinsed

1 Tbs sesame oil

500ml canned chicken stock

30g fried shallots

250g xiao bai cai (Shanghai greens)

METHOD

1. Place the chicken in a bowl, add the chopped coriander, chopped garlic, white pepper and salt. Mix well. Cover with clingwrap and put in the fridge to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

2. In a non-stick frying pan, heat the cooking oil over medium heat.

3. Add the whole garlic cloves and fry for one minute until fragrant.

4. Add the mushrooms and fry for 45 seconds.

5. Add the brown rice and stir-fry for two minutes.

6. Add the sesame oil and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

7. Transfer the rice mixture into the rice cooker.

8. Pour in the chicken stock and add the fried shallots. Stir, then cook for 25 minutes.

9. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.

10. Place chicken pieces in the pan and fry for 45 seconds until the surface turns opaque.

11. Turn off the heat and transfer the chicken into the rice cooker. Cook for another 30 minutes.

12. Open the rice cooker and arrange the xiao bai cai on top of the rice. Cover and cook for five minutes.

13. Serve hot.

Makes four to five servings.