Bao Zai Fan (Cantonese Claypot Rice with Chinese Sausage)
Bao zai fan - claypot rice - is a Cantonese winter dish that has been served in Hong Kong's dai pai dong stalls and Guangzhou's old-quarter restaurants for over a century. Raw rice cooks directly in a heated clay vessel with Chinese sausage, cured meats, or marinated chicken layered on top, so their rendered fats drip down and season the grains as they absorb the liquid. The clay holds heat long after leaving the flame, continuing to toast the bottom layer of rice into a golden, crackling crust called fan jiu - the most coveted part of the dish. A sauce of dark soy, light soy, sugar, and sesame oil is poured over at the table and stirred through, staining the white rice amber and releasing a rush of caramelized soy fragrance. The textural range within a single pot - sticky-soft grains on top, chewy middle layer, and shattering crust at the bottom - is what keeps this dish central to Cantonese comfort food despite the time it demands.
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Instructions
- 1
Soak rice for 20 minutes, then drain.
- 2
Add rice and water to a claypot and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- 3
When most surface water is gone, add sliced sausage and cook on low for 10 minutes.
- 4
Blanch bok choy and mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil for dressing.
- 5
Rest off heat for 5 minutes, top with bok choy and sauce, and mix before eating.
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