Piping hot, hearty, fragrant and rich with a crispy bottom layer of rice. It's hard to resist a good bowl of claypot rice. It's even harder to create claypot rice that's better than established eateries that specialise in it. After all, it’s something they make day after day. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make a good claypot rice from your own kitchen!
Ways of cooking
There are two ways to cook claypot rice. One is to cook ingredients together with the rice right from the beginning, until everything is cooked through (this is supposedly the authentic way). The other method is to cook the rice and ingredients separately. When the rice is half cooked, then the meat and veggies are added to the rice. How you choose to cook your claypot rice depends on your personal preference – some cooks prefer browning the chicken before cooking it in the claypot as it adds another layer of flavour.
The right amount of water
With claypot rice, you may need to use a little more water than you would when cooking plain rice, especially if you're cooking the ingredients and rice together as they need to steam until they’re fully cooked. But make sure not to add so much water that it becomes porridge! Remember to take into account that your meat will release some moisture when it's cooking
Employing your senses
Resist lifting the lid on the claypot while it’s cooking. Instead, rely your senses – your sight to see if there’s steam coming through the hole in the lid (if there’s no steam, it means there’s no more liquid and you need to add a splash of water); your smell to sniff out if the rice is burning (it's a fine line between a brown crust and burnt rice) and your hearing, to pick up the faint crackling sound of the rice browning on the bottom of the pot; and your taste, to check that the rice is done. Try not to lift the lid unless it's absolutely necessary i.e. to add more water into the claypot.
Traditional techniques
Using a traditional claypot helps to add a nice smoky scent and seals in all the rich flavours. Not to mention, you can only create a crispy bottom layer of rice with the traditional claypot! Don't forget to tilt the claypot every 5 minutes or so to ensure that everything cooks evenly. Claypot rice is also traditionally cooked over a charcoal flame, which contributes to the smoky flavour of the dish. But a charcoal flame is hard to create indoors, and a gas stove works well to make a good claypot rice too!
For a traditional, authentic clay pot experience, we suggest paying a visit to some of the eateries here! Which claypot stall in your favourite? Don't forget to vote and let us know!