Clay Pot Rice (煲仔飯) - Oh My Food Recipes

Name: Clay Pot Rice
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 piece Chicken thigh ((4 oz, Boneless and skinless)); 2 pieces Dried Chinese mushrooms ((Medium sized) ); 2 pieces Baby bok choy ((2.3 oz)); 1/2 piece Chinese cured pork belly ((2 oz)); 2 slices Ginger ((0.4 oz)); 1 teaspoon Vegetable oil ((Brush the claypot)); 1 tablespoon Sesame oil ((Drip around the claypot lid, you can use vegetable oil.)); 1 cup Rice; 1 cup Water; 1/2 tablespoon Dark soy sauce; 2 tablespoons Oyster sauce; 1 tablespoon Soy sauce; 1 tablespoon Cooking rice wine; 1/8 teaspoon Salt; 1/2 teaspoon Sugar; 1/2 tablespoon Cornstarch; 1 teaspoon Sesame oil; 1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder; 1/4 cup Brown sugar; 1/4 cup Soy sauce; 1/4 cup Water; 1/2 tablespoon Dark soy sauce

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A traditional and classic clay pot rice (煲仔飯) is a signature Cantonese Chinese dish like lobster yee mein, beef chow fun, siu mai, roast duck, char siu bbq pork and lo mai gai. This Chinese clay pot rice recipe is served with chicken, mushrooms and Chinese cured pork belly as the toppings. It is a classic and popular Hong Kong claypot rice for lunch or dinner. Let’s learn how to cook clay pot rice with detailed instructions and a video for your meal.

Love authentic Chinese food? Check out these hairy gourd vermicelli, turnip cake, tomato eggs, pickled vegetable & pork rice noodle soup, taro buns, mango pomelo, mapo tofu, congee, pork knuckles ginger stew and ma yi shang shu recipes.

Hong Kong Chinese Clay pot rice with sauce in the background

What is clay pot rice (煲仔飯)?

Clay pot rice or claypot rice is a classic and traditional Chinese meal for lunch and dinner. Also, it served as a dim sum item in Chinese restaurants. In Cantonese, we called it bou1 zai2 faan6 (煲仔飯). Some people translated it as "rice casserole". It originated from Guangdong, in the southern part of China. And, it is popular among Chinese communities in Hong Kong, Malaysian, Indonesia and Singapore.

Traditionally, claypot rice is cooked over a charcoal stove which gives a unique flavor. The rice usually is pre-soaked and cooked in the claypot, so the rice develops a crispy crust. It is very similar to the idea of Korean dolsot bibimbap (hot stone pot mixing rice). Besides, Chinese clay pot rice is often served with chicken, mushrooms, vegetables, Chinese sausage and Chinese cured pork belly. Some like to use Chinese pork ribs with black bean sauce, and pork patties with salty fish. There are quite a lot of combinations of toppings for Hong Kong Chinese clay pot rice.

In addition, clay pot rice is usually served with a small bowl of sauce. The sauce is less salty and sweeter than regular soy sauce. It gives extra flavor and fragrance to the dish. Since the method of slow cooking rice in claypot, it typically takes around 20-30 minutes to make claypot rice.

What are the ingredients for Hong Kong Chinese clay pot rice?

There are a lot of combinations of toppings for Hong Kong Chinese clay pot rice. Therefore, I am going to share this common and most popular clay pot rice recipe with chicken mushroom, Chinese cured pork belly and baby bok choy. Also, you can use different vegetables like choy sum and gai lan.

Hong Kong Chinese clay pot rice ingredients

The ingredients for clay pot rice recipe are chicken, dried mushrooms, Chinese cured pork belly, baby bok choy, rice, vegetable oil, sesame oil, ginger, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, cooking rice wine, salt, sugar, cornstarch and garlic powder.

The sauce mixture ingredients for this Hong Kong Chinese clay pot rice recipe are brown sugar, soy sauce, water and dark soy sauce. This sauce can be optional because the flavor from marinated chicken and Chinese cured pork belly is already salty and tasty. However, some people like to add it for extra flavor and saltiness.

Cooking tips for how to cook claypot rice:

Use a ceramic claypot because it is easier to maintain and clean. You can find any that are made in Japan, Korea and China. My claypot size is small for 2-3 servings. You can get a bigger pot and double or triple the servings if you need to make more to feed the family.
I usually soak the dried Chinese mushrooms the night before I need to use it because it takes around 4-6 hours until it's soft.
Personally, I like to soak the rice first because it helps shorten the cooking time.
Marinate chicken and mushrooms for at least 15 minutes before cooking.
Soak the rice for around 45 minutes to an hour. After that, drain the rice well.
Water and rice ratio is 1:1.
Brush oil in the claypot to prevent sticking the rice. Turn on the fire to small, put the drained rice into the clay pot and add water. Use a spoon to level off the rice and make sure water covers the rice. Cover the lid and let it cook for 10 minutes on a small fire.
Then, open the lid and add the marinated chicken and mushrooms. Cover the lid and cook for another 10 minutes on a small fire.
After, open the lid, add the Chinese cured pork belly and baby bok choy. Cover the lid and cook for 5 minutes on a small fire.
Pour 1 tablespoon of sesame oil or vegetable oil around the lid. Then, move around and tilt the claypot around the fire for a minute. This can help create crispy rice crust.
Sauce mixture is optional because the marinated Chicken and Chinese cured pork belly is flavorful and salty. However, you can make the sauce for extra flavor and suit your taste and saltiness.

FAQs:

What is the purpose of using a clay pot?

Using a clay pot to cook, it allows foods to be cooked moist and slow. The juices and moisture from the foods added to the porous clay. Therefore, cooking with moisture enables foods to be cooked without using a lot of fat, oil and salt.

What kind of clay pot do you use?

I like to use a ceramic claypot because it is easier to maintain and clean. You can find any that are made in Japan, Korea and China. My claypot size for claypot rice is small. It is around 2-3 servings. However, you can get a bigger pot and double or triple the servings if you need to make more to feed the family.

How do you make crispy rice in a claypot?

Pour a teaspoon of vegetable into the clay pot and brush it around. Put the soaked and drained rice, then pour the water into the pot. Cover the lid and cook it at a small fire. We don’t turn the heat up all the way when using a clay pot. Slow and small fire is the key.

After putting the toppings and cooking it, cover the lid and pour a tablespoon of sesame oil or vegetable oil around the clay pot lid. Move the clay pot around and tilt it so the rice can be crispy even around the claypot.

How do you clean a claypot?

Soak it into hot water and use a stiff brush to clean the pot. Also, you can use baking soda and salt to scrub it. We try not to use soap or detergent to clean it because the soap will go into the pores of the clay and then leach into your food the next time you cook it.

Instructions for how to cook Hong Kong Chinese clay pot rice:

soaking dried Chinese mushrooms in the bowl

Preparations:

1. Put 2 medium sized dried Chinese mushrooms into a bowl and pour 1 cup of water. Sock it for 4-6 hours. (I usually soak the mushrooms the night before I need to use it.)

rice soaking in the glass container top view

2. Then, put 1 cup of rice into a container and pour 2 cups of water. Let it soak for 45 minutes to an hour.

3. Peel a small piece of ginger (0.4 oz or two slices) and cut it into strips.

4. Cut 2 baby bok choy into half.

soaking baby bok choy in the bowl top view

5. Next, put the baby bok choy into a container and pour 1 cup of water. Let it soak for 15 minutes. Then, wash or rinse it 2-3 times.

6. After soaking the Chinese mushrooms, squeeze the excess water and cut them into strips.

cut Chinese cured pork belly into slices

7. Cut ½ piece of Chinese cured pork belly (2 oz) into slices.

8. Remove excess fat from the chicken thigh and cut 1 piece of boneless and skinless chicken thigh into strips.

cut mushrooms and chicken thigh into the bowl top view

9. Put the cut chicken thigh and mushrooms into the container.

sauce seasoning chicken and mushrooms in the bowl top view

10. Add ⅛ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of cooking rice wine, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, ½ tablespoon of dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder and ½ tablespoon of cornstarch. Then, mix it well.

ginger add into the marinated chicken and mushrooms top view

11. After, add the ginger from step 3 into the marinated chicken and mushrooms. Mix it well. Let it marinate for at least 15 minutes before cooking.

sauce ingredients into the pot over the stove top view

Sauce mixture:

12. Meanwhile, put ¼ cup of brown sugar, ¼ cup of soy sauce, ¼ cup of water and ½ tablespoon of dark soy sauce into a pot. Then, mix it well. Turn on medium fire, keep stirring and let the sugar melt. (This sauce is optional.)

13. Set the sauce mixture aside and let it cool off.

14. After soaking the rice, drain it well.

Cooking:

15. Pour 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil into the claypot.

a red brush brush oil around the claypot

16. Use a brush to brush the oil around the pot.

soaked and drained rice in the claypot top view over stove

17. Turn on the fire to small, put the drained rice from step 14 into the claypot.

water and rice in the claypot over the stove top view

18. Pour 1 cup of water into the claypot. (Water and rice ratio is 1:1) Use a spoon to level off the rice and make sure water covers the rice. Then, cover the lid and let it cook for 10 minutes on a small fire.

cooked rice in the claypot top view over the stove

19. After 10 minutes, open the lid and the rice is cooked.

marinated chicken and mushrooms add on top of the rice in the claypot

20. The following step, put the marinated chicken and mushrooms from step 11 on top of the rice. Cover the lid and let it cook for 10 minutes on a small fire.