My parents always wanted to mail me the Cantonese barbeque (sausage, pork belly and duck legs, etc.) back home from China, so I can make various Cantonese dish with them. Suddenly craving for Cantonese barbeque but did not want to eat them directly or stir fry with veggie, I decided to make clay pot rice with them! In all my past apartments, I never had open fire stove! Now I can finally, finally make clay pot rice as my sweet home has open fire stove now.
火候对于煲仔饭来说很重要！Fire is important to make the representative golden, crispy rice at the bottom of Cantonese clay pot rice, the sign of success. If you burn it, or if the bottom is not golden nor crispy at all, it is NOT a qualified Cantonese clay pot rice…! To be honest, it was a few trial and error before I managed to successfully make one good pot of clay pot rice…
QUICK TAKEAWAYS
- temperature is very important in making clay pot rice.. medium heat to cook rice and meat first, turn the heat all the way to high when start to pour oil which forms the golden crispy rice bottom, and turn the heat off the soak in fragrance from herbs and sauce
- when unsure about when is the best time to pour oil in, listen to the sound of water evaporating, like the sound of chiffon cake baking.. if you hear loud bubbly sound, its not the time yet
- sauce is also key to the flavor!
RECIPE
- rice (either jasmine rice, brown, purple and any mixed rice would work)
- Cantonese bbq such as sausage腊肠, pork belly/Chinese bacon(??) 腊肉, duck leg 腊鸭腿 or other meat like marinated pork short ribs, marinated chicken
- ginger slices
- minced scallion
- minced cilantro
- shiitake mushroom
- oil
- soy sauce
- dark soy sauce
- oyster sauce
- sesame oil
- sugar
STEP 0: soften dried shiitake mushroom in water at least for 1-2 hours, soak rice in water for 1-2 hours
STEP 1: combine 1tbsp soy sauce, 1/2tbsp dark soy sauce, 1/2-1tbsp oyster sauce, 1tbsp sesame oil, pinch of sugar, mix well –> sauce mix
STEP 2: slice ginger, scallion and cilantro (do need too much), slice the soft shiitake mushrooms and meat of choice (LOTS OF CUTTING)
STEP 3: brush the inside wall of clay pot with oil, to prevent burning
STEP 4: drain the water that rice soaks in, transfer rice to the clay pot and add same volume of water (1:1-1.5 rice: water)
STEP 5: over high heat, bring pot of rice to boil, then turns down temperature to medium for 10-15mins. At 10/15mins mark, check the rice, if there is not much water left, start to layer in the meat, shiitake mushroom and sprinkle ginger slices on top
STEP 6: continue to cook over medium heat for another 5-8mins, and listen to the “bubbly” sound when water evaporates
STEP 7: if the bubbly sound quiets down, TURN THE HEAT BACK TO HIGH, and pour oil ON the lid (yes from the outside), oil would sip into the pot along the wall. Over high heat, low moist in rice, as oil meets rice at the bottom, you would hear the sizzling sound, that is the crispy rice forming!
STEP 8: continue to cook over high heat for another 2-5mins.
- do not leave the pot, can go in with a spoon/chopstick to turn the rice at the bottom and see if golden rice crispy has formed
STEP 9: if golden rice crispy has form, sprinkle scallion, cilantro, sauce mix into the pot. Again, once the liquid sauce is poured into the pot, you will hear sizzling sound! MUSIC TO MY EARS~~!!
STEP 10: put the lid back on and cover for 2-3mins as clay pot rice soaks in all the fragrance of scallion, cilantro and the sauce
READY TO SERVE! MIX WELL BEFORE START DIGGING IN!! THIS IS WHAT HEAVEN TASTES LIKE.. WHAT HOME TASTES LIKE…!!
golden crisp! not TOO burnt!
