The first cold snap of a Hong Kong winter has a smell: clay pots of rice and sausage toasting over little flames on the pavement outside the claypot-rice specialists. Claypot rice is the city's great one-pot comfort food — and the secret crispy crust at the bottom is one of the most satisfying things you can cook at home.
Here is my recipe and method, crust and all.
In This Guide
Hong Kong's great one-pot comfort
When the temperature finally drops in a Hong Kong winter, claypot rice season begins. Claypot rice (bou jai faan) is the city's ultimate cold-weather comfort dish: rice cooked in a clay pot over a flame until the grains at the bottom toast into a crackling golden crust, crowned with glistening Chinese sausage and cured meats and anointed with a sweet, dark soy sauce. Old specialists set up rows of clay pots over little burners on the pavement and the smell carries down the street.
It is also deeply satisfying to make at home. The technique rewards patience rather than skill, and the payoff — that prized crispy crust, the faan ziu — is one of the great textures in Cantonese cooking.
Ingredients (serves 2)
Lap cheong (Chinese sausage) is the classic topping; add cured pork belly or chicken if you like.
- 1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed until the water runs clear
- About 1.25 cups water (or light chicken stock)
- 2 Chinese sausages (lap cheong), sliced on the diagonal
- Optional: a few slices of cured pork belly, or chicken thigh marinated in soy, ginger and a little sugar
- 1 spring onion, chopped; a little oil
- For the sauce: 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp water (warm to dissolve)
Method
The whole game is a low, steady flame at the end and the discipline not to lift the lid too soon.
- Rinse the rice well, then put it in the clay pot with the water and let it soak 20–30 minutes. Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Bring the pot to a boil over medium heat, uncovered, until the surface water is mostly absorbed and craters appear on top of the rice (a few minutes).
- Lay the sliced sausage (and any cured meat) over the rice. If using marinated chicken, add it now. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook gently for 12–15 minutes.
- To build the crust, drizzle a little oil down the inside edge of the pot and, if you can, rotate the pot over the flame every few minutes so the bottom toasts evenly. You will hear a faint crackle — that is the faan ziu forming.
- Turn off the heat and let it rest, covered, 5 minutes. Drizzle over the sweet soy sauce, scatter the spring onion, and serve straight from the pot — scrape up the crispy bottom as you go.
Tips & troubleshooting
A few pointers for a perfect pot. Don't skip the soak — it helps the rice cook evenly. Keep the flame low at the topping stage; high heat burns the crust before the rice is done. Resist lifting the lid until the end, so the steam does its work. If your crust isn't forming, give it a few more minutes on low with that drizzle of oil; if it is catching too fast, lower the heat and rotate the pot.
Treat your clay pot kindly — soak and season a new one, never shock it with sudden temperature changes, and let it cool before washing. Once you have the rhythm, claypot rice becomes a brilliant winter staple: one pot, endless toppings, and that irresistible crackling base. Serve with a simple plate of blanched greens and the meal is complete.