This Clay Pot Rice is slathered in a delicious homemade Chinese Sweet Soy Sauce. Everything is super-easy to make,  the Chinese Pork Belly and Chinese Sausage cook in the same pot as the rice, so delicious!

delicious chinese dish

Why This Clay Pot Rice Is So Good

  • Easy to make  – can cook in rice cooker or on the stovetop.
  • Filling and delicious – the rice absorbs so much flavor.
  • Covered in a delicious sweet soy sauce.
  • Perfectly crispy rice.

Ingredients 

For The Sweet Soy Sauce 

  • Cooking oil
  • Shallots
  • Ginger
  • Brown sugar
  • Soy sauce
  • Rice wine
  • Sesame oil

For The Clay Pot Rice

  • Chinese sausage
  • Cured pork belly
  • Long grain raw rice

How To Make Chines Clay Pot Rice – Step By Step

1. Make the Sweet Soy Sauce:
Heat a small sauce pot over medium heat with cooking oil. When hot, add in the shallot and the ginger and fry until browned but not burnt, approximately 3-5 minutes. The shallots should be shriveled, darker brown (just not black). Remove the shallots and ginger (as much as you can). The remaining oil will now be flavorful. Don’t throw away the crispy shallots! Use this as a topping for salad, fried rice, vegetables, etc. The ginger can be discarded.

To the oil, add in the sugar, soy sauce and rice wine. Bring to a simmer and then turn the heat to low. Let simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and pour in the sesame oil. Let cool completely before storing in a jar. Lasts up to 4 months in refrigerator.

2. Make the Clay Pot Rice

IF COOKING IN RICE COOKER
Place the rice in the rice cooker pot. Fill pot halfway with water and use your hands to swish the rice. Carefully pour out the water. Repeat 2-3 more times until the water is just barely cloudy. Pour in water until it reaches your knuckle. Use this Chinese method to measure water.

Lay in the Chinese sausage and pork belly strips. Set rice cooker to cook. When cooking complete, remove pork belly and Chinese sausage and slice thinly on the diagonal. Serve with rice Sweet Soy Sauce drizzled on top.

IF COOKING ON STOVETOP
To the pot (preferably clay, cast iron, enameled cast iron or some kind of heavy-bottomed pot), add in the pork belly and Chinese sausage. Turn the heat to medium-high. As the pot heats up, the pork and sausage will slowly begin to release its fats (yum!). Cook for 2 minutes, then flip the pork and sausage and cook the other side. Remove the pork and sausage to a plate.

You should have about a tablespoon of delicious fat in your pot! Add in your raw rice to the pot (still on medium-high heat) gently stir the raw rice in the fat for 30 seconds until coated. Pour in 3 cups of water and snuggle in the pork belly and sausage in the rice. Bring to a low boil. Turn heat to low and immediately cover. Cook for 12 minutes. When done cooking, pork belly and Chinese sausage and slice thinly on the diagonal. Serve with rice and Sweet Soy Sauce drizzled on top

bowl of Chinese Clay Pot Rice

What Is Clay Pot Rice?

Claypot rice (Chinese: 煲仔飯; pinyin: bāo zǐ fàn), sometimes translated as rice casserole, is a traditional dinner dish in Southern China and Southeast Asia, mainly Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. The rice is presoaked, or in some cases par-cooked, and finished in the claypot with other ingredients which then flavor the rice. The rice develops a crust similar to that in Korean dolsot bibimbap or Spanish paella. It is commonly served with chicken, Chinese sausage and vegetables in some regions, but most restaurants offer a customizable dish with many protein options.

Traditionally, the cooking is done over a charcoal stove, giving the dish a distinctive flavour. Some places serve it with thick, sweetened soy sauce and sometimes dried salted fish. Due to the time-consuming method of preparation and slow-cooking in a claypot, customers might have to wait a period of time (typically 15–30 minutes) before the dish is ready.

But this Clay Pot Rice recipe is quicker and easier!

No Clay Pot Needed!

Normally, a clay pot is used (duh! hence the name) but since I didn’t have a clay pot (broke mine during the move) – we decided to experiment with making Chinese Clay Pot Rice in the rice cooker (shortcut cheater method) and also on the stovetop in a heavy-bottomed pot (like cast iron or Le Creuset). This type of pot will ensure that the rice cooks evenly and does not burn.

There’s a a fine line between “crispy” and “burnt” rice! If you’re using a clay pot or a pot on a stove, you can get a really nice bottom crust (the best part!) that all the kids fight over.

Chinese Clay Pot Rice in bowl

Protein In This Clay Pot Rice Recipe

The Chinese Cured Pork Belly or “Chinese Style Cured Pork Strips” by Kam Yen Jan is what we used. It’s actually a preserved and cured ingredient (kind of like Chinese version of smoked bacon!) so just like the Chinese sausage, it keeps for several months in the refrigerator (as long as you don’t open the package).

They are both found at Asian markets.

chinese pork belly package

Top Tips For This Clay Pot Rice Recipe

  • Slice your meats evenly and similar sizes, for even cooking.
  • You can use a rice cooker or a stove pot.
  • Don’t throw away the crispy shallots! Use this as a topping for salad, fried rice, vegetables, etc.
  • Any extra sweet soy sauce can be stored in a jar in the fridge for up to 4 months.

Chinese Clay Pot Rice with Sweet Soy Sauce Recipe Video

 

Check Out These Other Delicious Chinese Recipes

Have you tried this Clay Pot Rice recipe? Feel free to leave a star rating and I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Chinese Clay Pot Rice Recipe

Jaden Hair
This Clay Pot Rice is slathered in a delicious homemade Chinese Sweet Soy Sauce. Everything is super-easy to make,  the Chinese Pork Belly and Chinese Sausage cook in the same pot as the rice, so delicious!

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian, Chinese
Servings 4 servings
Calories 1352 kcal

Ingredients
  

FOR THE SWEET SOY SAUCE

  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 2 shallots thinly sliced
  • 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger peeled and thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup Chinese cooking rice wine
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil

FOR THE CLAY POT RICE

  • 1 package Chinese sausage
  • 1 package Chinese cured pork belly
  • 2 cups long-grain raw rice I like jasmine rice

Instructions
 

Make the Sweet Soy Sauce:

  • Heat a small sauce pot over medium heat with cooking oil. When hot, add in the shallot and the ginger and fry until browned but not burnt, approximately 3-5 minutes. The shallots should be shriveled, darker brown (just not black). Remove the shallots and ginger (as much as you can).
  • The remaining oil will now be flavorful. Don't throw away the crispy shallots! Use this as a topping for salad, fried rice, vegetables, etc. The ginger can be discarded.
  • To the oil, add in the sugar, soy sauce and rice wine. Bring to a simmer and then turn the heat to low. Let simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and pour in the sesame oil. Let cool completely before storing in a jar. Lasts up to 4 months in refrigerator.

Make the Clay Pot Rice

  • IF COOKING IN RICE COOKER
  • Place the rice in the rice cooker pot. Fill pot halfway with water and use your hands to swish the rice. Carefully pour out the water. Repeat 2-3 more times until the water is just barely cloudy. Pour in water until it reaches your knuckle. Use this Chinese method to measure water.
  • Lay in the Chinese sausage and pork belly strips. Set rice cooker to cook. When cooking complete, remove pork belly and Chinese sausage and slice thinly on the diagonal. Serve with rice Sweet Soy Sauce drizzled on top.
  • IF COOKING ON STOVETOP
  • To the pot (preferably clay, cast iron, enameled cast iron or some kind of heavy-bottomed pot), add in the pork belly and Chinese sausage. Turn the heat to medium-high. As the pot heats up, the pork and sausage will slowly begin to release its fats (yum!). Cook for 2 minutes, then flip the pork and sausage and cook the other side.
  • Remove the pork and sausage to a plate. You should have about a tablespoon of delicious fat in your pot! Add in your raw rice to the pot (still on medium-high heat) gently stir the raw rice in the fat for 30 seconds until coated.
  • Pour in 3 cups of water and snuggle in the pork belly and sausage in the rice. Bring to a low boil. Turn heat to low and immediately cover. Cook for 12 minutes. When done cooking, pork belly and Chinese sausage and slice thinly on the diagonal. Serve with rice and Sweet Soy Sauce drizzled on top.

Nutrition

Calories: 1352kcalCarbohydrates: 89gProtein: 38gFat: 91gSaturated Fat: 29gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 3917mgPotassium: 716mgFiber: 2gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 75IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 4mg
Keyword clay pot rice, rice and pork, rice recipe
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