🍽️ Claypot Rice

Rice cooked in clay pot with crispy crust.

Claypot Rice is the most soulful rice dish of Guangzhou and the Pearl River Delta, cooked to order in a small earthenware pot. Slim indica rice goes into the pot with water, boiled until nearly done, then topped with cured Chinese sausage, slippery chicken, spare ribs, beef or eel, drizzled with a little oil, and covered to simmer over low heat until the rice is done and a golden crust forms on the bottom. A swirl of soy sauce goes on at the table; toss it hot so the sauce reaches every grain. Proper claypot rice has separate, springy grains, tender juicy toppings, and that coveted scorched crust at the bottom—the best bite, crackling with toasty rice aroma. Cantonese crave it most in cooler months; old street shops cook to order, and the wait is worth it. It is a showcase of Cantonese heat control.