Claypot rice

{{Short description|Chinese rice dish}}

{{Infobox prepared food

| name = Claypot rice

| image = Claypot Chicken Rice, Singapore.JPG

| image_size = 250px

| caption = Singapore-style claypot chicken rice with sliced chicken, salted fish, Chinese sausage and vegetables.

| alternate_name =

| country = China

| region = Guangdong, Hong Kong

| creator =

| course =

| served =

| main_ingredient = Rice, chicken, Chinese sausage

| variations =

| calories =

| other =

}}

Claypot rice ({{zh|c=煲仔飯|

zh|j=bou1 zai2 faan6|}}), sometimes translated as "rice casserole", is a Chinese traditional dinner eaten widely in Guangdong in Southern China as well as the Chinese communities of Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.{{cite web |last1=Tay |first1=Priscilla |title=Claypot Rice Stalls In Singapore Including Halal And Michelin Bib Gourmand Claypot Rice |url=https://eatbook.sg/claypot-rice-singapore/ |website=EatBook.sg - Singapore Food Guide And Review Site |access-date=16 June 2022 |date=31 March 2021}}

The rice is presoaked, or in some cases par-cooked, and finished in the claypot with other ingredients which then flavor the rice. The bottom develops a scorched rice crust similar to that in Korean dolsot bibimbap or Iranian “tahdig” and Spanish paella.{{cite web|title=Clay Pot Rice, A Traditional Delicacy|url=http://kaleidoscope.cultural-china.com/en/8Kaleidoscope5873.html|publisher=cultural-china.com|access-date=29 December 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230235401/http://kaleidoscope.cultural-china.com/en/8Kaleidoscope5873.html|archive-date=30 December 2013}} 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 dish is cooked over a charcoal stove, giving it a distinctive flavor. Some places serve it with thick, sweetened soy sauce and sometimes dried salted fish.{{cite news |author=Robert Sietsema|title=A-Wah Serves Up Pot in Chinatown|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2010/07/20/a-wah-serves-up-pot-in-chinatown/|work=The Village Voice}}{{cite news |author=Susan Jung|title=How to cook clay pot rice – a classic Cantonese comfort food and winter warmer|url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/2186096/how-cook-clay-pot-rice-classic-cantonese-comfort|work=South China Morning Post}} Due to the time-consuming method of preparation and slow-cooking in a claypot, customers may have to wait a period of time (typically 15–30 minutes) before the dish is ready.