Chinese recipe

Hong Kong-style clay-pot rice

Name: Hong Kong-style clay-pot rice
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Chinese cuisine
Ingredients: 200 g jasmine or other long-grain white rice; 240 ml water for soaking and cooking; 150 g cured pork belly, sliced 5 mm thick; 100 g (2 links) sweet Chinese sausage, sliced 5 mm thick; 10 g ginger, thinly sliced; 25 g scallion, chopped; 30 ml light soy sauce; 15 ml seasoned soy sauce; 7.5 ml dark soy sauce; 15 ml fish sauce; 2 g granulated sugar; 0.5 g white pepper; 5 ml neutral oil for the pot

Jasmine rice steams with Chinese sausage and cured pork belly, finishing with a savory soy dressing and crisped rice at the base.

Hong Kong / Guangdong

Prep: 1 hr
Cook: 30 min
Total: 1 hr 30 min
Servings: 2

Real finished-dish brief: the clay pot itself or a shallow bowl filled with separate glossy rice grains, sliced red-brown Chinese sausage, cured pork belly, ginger, and chopped scallion; show a distinct golden crisp-rice rim at the bottom edge. — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by N509FZSource page · Original file · CC BY-SA 4.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

200 g
jasmine or other long-grain white rice
240 ml
water for soaking and cooking
150 g
cured pork belly, sliced 5 mm thick
100 g (2 links)
sweet Chinese sausage, sliced 5 mm thick
10 g
ginger, thinly sliced
25 g
scallion, chopped
30 ml
light soy sauce
15 ml
seasoned soy sauce
7.5 ml
dark soy sauce
15 ml
fish sauce
2 g
granulated sugar
0.5 g
white pepper
5 ml
neutral oil for the pot

Method

01
Rinse rice until the water is nearly clear. Add 240 ml water to the clay pot, soak 60 minutes, and lightly oil the inner rim; the grains should be fully hydrated.
02
Set pot over medium heat, uncovered, and bring to a boil in about 5–8 minutes. Lay cured pork and sausage over the rice without stirring.
03
Cover, lower to the lowest heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Listen for a gentle hiss rather than a hard boil; rice should be nearly tender and water mostly absorbed.
04
Mix light soy, seasoned soy, dark soy, fish sauce, sugar, and white pepper. Pour evenly over the rice, cover, and cook on low 3 minutes.
05
Turn heat to medium-high for 2–3 minutes to set a thin crisp rice layer; stop when the bottom smells toasted but before it smells burnt.
06
Lift out the meats, slice them, and return them with scallion. Rest covered off heat for 5 minutes, then fold gently from the bottom so crisp rice remains in pieces.

Practical notes

Tips

Exact rice-to-water measurement and the 60-minute soak are more reliable than guessing by pot size.
A clay pot retains heat; move it off the burner as soon as the crisp layer is ready.

Common mistakes

Skipping the soak leaves a hard center before the bottom browns.
Stirring while the rice cooks breaks grains and prevents a cohesive crust.

Substitutions

cured pork belly (150 g) → thinly sliced Chinese roast pork (150 g): Add it during the final 3-minute simmer so it does not dry.
clay pot → heavy lidded saucepan: Use the same water ratio but monitor the crisp layer closely.

Storage

Cool rice within 2 hours and refrigerate airtight for up to 3 days. Reheat covered with 15 ml water at medium-low heat until steaming hot; the crust will soften, so crisp it briefly in the pot afterward.

Cultural context

Clay-pot rice (bo jai fan) is a Cantonese comfort food associated with Hong Kong street stalls and home kitchens; the prized scorched rice layer is called faan ziu and is scraped up to share.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.