Weeknight Hong Kong Clay Pot Rice (Bo Zai Fan, 煲仔饭)
The Mala MarketEquipment
- Clay pots, glazed or unglazed (ideally one 6-inch / 16 ounce pot per person)
Ingredients
For the Bo Zai Fan (for each 6-inch pot)
- ⅔ cup dry jasmine rice (or similar)
- 1 Chinese sausage link, cut into diagonal slices
- 2–3 slices larou (Chinese wind-cured pork belly) or 3 shiitake mushrooms (fresh or rehydrated)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 egg (optional)
For the Sauce
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
Instructions
- Wash the rice in a sieve and put it into your clay pot. Cover the rice with another ⅔ cup of water. (Repeat with remaining pots.) Let rice soak while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- While your rice is soaking, prepare your toppings: Cut sausage(s) into diagonal slices. If using larou, cut it into batons; if using mushrooms, cut them into diagonal slices, discarding any hard stems.
- Set the pot(s) directly onto the burner(s) on your stove and turn heat to medium. When the water reaches a boil, uncover the pot(s) and let the rice cook until no more water is visible on top, about 3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low, then arrange your lap cheong and larou (or mushroom) topping on the surface of the rice, leaving a gap in the center for the egg. (Divide them between pots as necessary.) Cover the pot(s) and cook everything, undisturbed, for 10 minutes.
- While the rice continues to cook, make your drizzling sauce: Put the salt, sugar and white pepper into a small bowl, then add 2 tablespoons of hot water and whisk to dissolve. Finally, add both soy sauces and the oyster sauce and mix to combine. Set the sauce aside.
- At this point your rice will have finished cooking, so it’s time to develop the rice crust: With your pot lid(s) still closed, drizzle a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a circle onto each pot lid, so that the oil will run off the edges of the lid and trickle down into the the pot(s), coating the interior(s). This helps the crust develop and also lends it aroma.
- After another 10 minutes or so, check your pot's vitals: Is there a thick stream of white steam escaping from the steam hole, rather than wisps of vapor? If so, the rice may need more time to cook out its moisture. Do you hear a lively sputter-sizzle rather than a gentle crackling? Another sign of excess moisture. Most importantly, can you detect a toasty aroma when you sniff the bottom(s) of the pot(s)? If so, your rice is done! (If you notice any burning smell, pull the pot(s) off the flame immediately.)
- Turn off the burner(s), open the lid(s) and crack an egg into the center of each pot (if using), and then close the lid(s) again. Let the rice sit for another couple minutes before serving, so the egg cooks gently in the residual heat. At the table, garnish everything with chopped scallion greens. Let each diner drizzle sauce to taste and mix their runny eggs into the rice. (Spoons are clutch for getting the crust off the bottom after the fluffy parts have been eaten.) Serve alongside a blanched brassica, such as yu choy, bok choy or gailan.
Notes
You can adapt this recipe to different size clay pots as long as you keep the rice/water ratio the same. If using a larger pot, try to choose a wide, shallow pot so that you don't end up with lots of rice and very little topping.