Cantonese Claypot Rice

I tried another recipe from Soy and Pepper and this stuff is amazing! This is a simpler, at-home version of the Claypot rice served by street vendors in Malaysia. Savory, meaty rice with a hint of heat ~ this is perfect Asian comfort food! I ditched the rice maker from her recipe and mixed this one up on the stove.

The original recipe adds in the traditional Chinese sausage and salted fish as well, but if you aren't familiar with these already I'd leave them out. I hunted down the Chinese sausage and hesitantly forked over $5 for the pack of 10 thin sausages (about as wide as your thumb). And while they were pretty tasty, you hardly notice the occasional slice mixed in the rice, yet they add 50 calories per serving! I'll use up the pack I have, but kind of wish I hadn't bought them and left them out of the recipe below.



(For those of you counting calories, I've added the amount for each ingredient so you can easily make tweaks without having to re-calculate everything. Anything marked with an asterisk* may vary a lot based on what you buy, so make sure to compare your label.)

Cantonese Claypot Rice 

1 tbsp soy sauce (10)
1 tbsp sake (20)
1/2 tsp sugar (8)
Dash of white pepper (0)
4 chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces (328)

1) Mix the soy sauce, sake, sugar, and pepper. Marinate the chicken pieces and set aside for 30 minutes (or longer).


3 cups water (0)
1.5 cup rice (900)

2) In a medium pot, mix the water and rice and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.


4.5 Tbsp. soy sauce (45)
3 Tbsp. oyster sauce (75*)
1.5 Tbsp. dark sweet soy sauce (90*, see substitute at end)
1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil (65)
1/2 tsp. chilli oil (20)

3) In a small bowl or cup, mix the soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark sweet soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili oil. Set aside. (Slice the green onions and mushrooms while you wait.)


1 tsp. sesame oil (43)
2 green onions, sliced thinly (10)
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced thinly (50)

4) When the chicken and rice are ready, heat a wok or large pan over medium high heat and add the oil. Add the marinated chicken and mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes until the chicken is just cooked through. Add the cooked rice, pour in the sauce, add the green onion slices, and mix well. Serves 4.

Calories - 416 for 1/4



Dark sweet soy sauce (or Kecap Manis) is a thick, sweet, molasses-y soy sauce. I'd highly recommend picking up a bottle of this tasty sauce, but if you can't get ahold of it, you can mix equal parts soy sauce and brown sugar, then simmer it until it thickens to resemble maple syrup. (Since there is so little in this recipe, I'd probably just add the 1.5 Tbsp. of soy sauce and brown sugar and not bother thickening it first.)