Cantonese clay-pot rice

Your ingredients

Get ready: Hob-safe clay pot or heavy lidded saucepan, plus a small sauce bowl.

• 🍚215 g jasmine rice
• 💧240 ml water or unsalted stock
• 🥣2 links Chinese sausage, lap cheong
• 🥣Sauce: 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 🥣Sauce: 1 tsp each dark soy sauce and oyster sauce
• 💧Sauce: 1 tsp unsalted stock instead of cooking wine
• 🥜Sauce: 1 tsp sesame oil
• 🍯Sauce: ½ tsp sugar and ¼ tsp white pepper
• 🥬2 spring onions, sliced
• 🥣1 tsp neutral oil for the crust, optional
• 🥣1 small pak choi, blanched separately, optional

Let’s make it

1. Start the rice

   Use a hob-safe clay pot or heavy lidded saucepan. Rinse rice well and drain. Add measured water and cook uncovered over medium-low heat until the water is just level with the rice.

2. Add the sausage

   Lay sausages on the rice, cover and turn heat very low. Cook for about 10–15 minutes, checking the rice becomes tender and sausage is fully cooked according to its packet. Add a splash of hot water if the rice is still firm.

3. Try a gentle crust

   For a crust, drizzle the teaspoon of oil around the inside edge and cook over medium heat for 2–4 minutes. Keep the pot flat and stop before it smells burnt. Rest covered off the heat for 5 minutes.

4. Slice and season

   Slice the hot sausages, return them to the rice and add the mixed sauce ingredients and spring onion. Add optional cooked pak choi and mix at the table. A heavy saucepan is a perfectly good starting point.