Chinese Sausage Clay Pot Style Rice Bowl

Name: Chinese Sausage Clay Pot Style Rice Bowl
Prep time: 16 min
Cook time: 26 min
Total time: 42 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 2 cups (400 g) jasmine rice, rinsed until the water runs nearly clear, then soaked 20 minutes and drained well; 2 cups (480 ml) cold water; 7 oz (200 g) Chinese sausage (lap cheong), about 4 links, sliced on a sharp diagonal ¼ inch (6 mm) thick; 1 tablespoon (8 g) fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks; 10 oz (300 g) baby bok choy, about 4 heads, halved lengthwise, washed well and shaken dry; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) neutral oil, such as canola; 3 tablespoons (45 ml) light (regular) soy sauce; 1 teaspoon (5 ml) dark soy sauce; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oyster sauce; 1 teaspoon (4 g) granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon (5 ml) toasted sesame oil; 2 tablespoons (30 ml) hot water; ⅛ teaspoon (0.3 g) ground white pepper; 2 whole (30 g) scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Sweet, savory slices of lap cheong are steamed right on top of jasmine rice in a heavy pot, so their rendered fat seasons every grain. Tender bok choy, fresh ginger and a quick soy-oyster sauce finish it, and a toasty, crackling rice crust forms on the bottom.

Prep: 16 min
Cook: 26 min
Wait: 30 min
Total: 1 hr 12 min
Makes: 4 generous rice bowls (about 6 cups cooked rice with toppings)

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the rice
2 cups (400 g) jasmine rice, rinsed until the water runs nearly clear, then soaked 20 minutes and drained well
2 cups (480 ml) cold water
7 oz (200 g) Chinese sausage (lap cheong), about 4 links, sliced on a sharp diagonal ¼ inch (6 mm) thick
1 tablespoon (8 g) fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
10 oz (300 g) baby bok choy, about 4 heads, halved lengthwise, washed well and shaken dry
1 tablespoon (15 ml) neutral oil, such as canola
For the sauce
3 tablespoons (45 ml) light (regular) soy sauce
1 teaspoon (5 ml) dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon (15 ml) oyster sauce
1 teaspoon (4 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons (30 ml) hot water
⅛ teaspoon (0.3 g) ground white pepper
To finish
2 whole (30 g) scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced

Equipment (7)

Heavy 3-quart (2.8 L) pot or Dutch oven with a tight lid (or a 3-quart clay pot over a diffuser)
Fine-mesh strainer
Medium bowl for soaking the rice
Chef's knife and cutting board
Small bowl and spoon for the sauce
Rice paddle or large spoon
Instant-read thermometer

Steps

Before you start

Plan for about 72 minutes in all: the rice soaks for 20 minutes and rests for 10 minutes at the end.
Use a heavy 3-quart (2.8 L) pot with a tight-fitting lid. A lid that fits loosely lets steam escape, and the rice will come out undercooked.
Look for dry, hard lap cheong in the refrigerated or dry-goods aisle of an Asian market. Check the package for any casing that needs removing.
Cut the sausage and bok choy before you start cooking. Once the rice is going, the steps move quickly.
Have an instant-read thermometer ready to confirm the sausage reaches 160°F (71°C) before serving.

1
Rinse the rice
- Put the 2 cups (400 g) jasmine rice in a medium bowl and cover with cold tap water.
- Swirl with your fingers, then pour off the cloudy water through a fine-mesh strainer.
- Repeat 3 to 4 times.
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Ready when: The rinse water looks only faintly cloudy.
Tip: Rinsing removes surface starch, so the grains cook up separate instead of gummy.
2
Soak the rice
- Cover the rinsed rice with fresh cold water and let it sit for 20 minutes.
- Drain thoroughly in the strainer, shaking out excess water.
- Soaked grains cook evenly, so the top steams through before the bottom crisps.
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Ready when: Grains look opaque white and slightly swollen.
Tip: Drain well. Extra clinging water will make the rice soft.
3
Prep the toppings
- Slice the sausage ¼ inch (6 mm) thick on a sharp diagonal.
- Cut the ginger into thin matchsticks.
- Halve the baby bok choy lengthwise, rinse between the leaves to remove grit, and shake dry.
- Thinly slice the scallions and set them aside for the end.
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Ready when: Sausage slices are even and the bok choy is dry.
Tip: If a bok choy head is thicker than 2 inches (5 cm) across, quarter it so the stem cooks through in time.
4
Mix the sauce
- In a small bowl, stir together the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, hot water and white pepper until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Set it aside.
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Ready when: No sugar granules remain and the sauce is dark and glossy.
5
Boil the rice
- Add the drained rice and 2 cups (480 ml) cold water to the pot.
- Set it over medium-high heat, uncovered, and bring to a boil, stirring once or twice.
- Let it bubble until most of the water has been absorbed and small steam holes appear across the surface of the rice.
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Ready when: The surface is bubbling with steam holes and no standing water, about 7 minutes in all.
Tip: Stop stirring once the water boils down. Stirring starchy rice makes it gluey.
6
Steam with sausage
- Turn the heat to low.
- Quickly scatter the sausage slices and ginger over the rice in a single layer and cover with the tight lid.
- Steam for 12 minutes without lifting the lid.
- Before moving on, check that the sausage is hot throughout: slip an instant-read thermometer into the thickest slice, which should read at least 160°F (71°C).
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Ready when: The sausage looks plump and glossy, smells sweet and savory, and reads at least 160°F (71°C) in the thickest slice.
Tip: If steam escapes around the lid, set a clean kitchen towel under it, folded away from the flame.
7
Add the bok choy
- Lift the lid and lay the bok choy halves, cut side up, over the sausage.
- Cover again and steam on low for 4 minutes.
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Ready when: The leaves are bright green and wilted, and the white stems are just tender when poked with a fork.
Tip: Don't go past 5 minutes or the bok choy turns olive-colored and limp.
8
Crisp the bottom
- Raise the heat to medium.
- Drizzle the 1 tablespoon (15 ml) neutral oil around the inside edge of the pot, so it runs down the sides.
- Cover and cook for 3 minutes, until you hear light crackling and smell toasted rice.
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Ready when: The edges crackle softly and smell nutty, with no burnt smell.
Tip: If you smell anything acrid, take the pot off the heat right away. Thin pots scorch quickly.
9
Rest off the heat
- Turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and let the pot rest for 10 minutes.
- This finishes the steaming and loosens the crust from the pot.
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Ready when: The rice is tender and fluffy, with no hard center in the grains.
Tip: Resist peeking. Opening the lid early lets steam out and leaves the top layer underdone.
10
Sauce and serve
- Remove the bok choy and set it on a plate.
- Spoon half of the sauce over the sausage and rice, then fold gently with a rice paddle, scooping up the crust from the bottom.
- Divide the rice among 4 bowls, top with the bok choy, drizzle with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with scallions.
- Serve hot.
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Ready when: The rice is evenly tinted golden brown with sauce and glossy, and the crust is in golden pieces.
Tip: Pour the sauce in stages. The sausage is already salty, so taste before adding all of it.

Good to know

Tips

Slice the sausage on a sharp diagonal so each piece is larger and renders more fat into the rice.
Keep the water at a ratio of about 1 part rice to 1.2 parts water since the rice is pre-soaked. More water will give a mushy rice with no crust.
Make sure the lid fits tightly. If it doesn't, cover the pot with foil and then the lid to hold in steam.
Let the pot rest before serving. The crust releases cleanly after the rest, and you get golden crispy pieces rather than a stuck-on layer.

Make ahead

Rinse and soak the rice up to 4 hours ahead. Drain it, cover it and keep it in the fridge. Slice the sausage, ginger and scallions up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate separately. Mix the sauce up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it in a covered jar.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: up to 2 hours. Fridge: store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freezer: freeze the rice and sausage (without bok choy) for up to 1 month. Reheat each portion in a covered microwave-safe bowl with 1 tablespoon of water for 1½ to 2 minutes, stirring halfway, until steaming hot throughout (165°F/74°C), or steam for 8 to 10 minutes. Cook fresh bok choy to serve with it.

Substitutions

baby bok choy → Choy sum, gai lan (Chinese broccoli), or broccolini. Cut thick stems in half lengthwise; steaming time may need 1 to 2 extra minutes.
Chinese sausage (lap cheong) → Chinese roast pork (char siu) or smoked ham, diced. Add it for the last 5 minutes of steaming only. Sweetness will be milder, so add ½ teaspoon extra sugar to the sauce.
oyster sauce → Vegetarian mushroom stir-fry sauce. Use the same amount. This also keeps the sauce free of shellfish.
dark soy sauce → Additional light soy sauce plus ¼ teaspoon molasses. Use 1 teaspoon light soy and the molasses for similar color.