Chinese · Cantonese · main

Claypot Rice with Lap Cheong (Bo Zai Fan)

Claypot Rice with Lap Cheong (Bo Zai Fan) reads umami 6.5, salinity 5.7 and richness 4.6 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Chinese · Cantonese main, about 44 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 7.4 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 3.7 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 0.8 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.6 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 5.4 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 1.1 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.5 · Salinity 5.7 · Richness 4.6 · Sweetness 3.7 · Funk & Ferment 3.5 · Nutty 2.6 · Earthy 2.4 · Floral 1.0 · Bitterness 0.8 · Sourness 0.8 · Herbaceous 0.7

What's in it (16)

• steamed jasmine rice — 300 g
• water — 375 g
• lap cheong — 200 g
• lap yuk — 80 g
• chicken thigh — 250 g
• shaoxing wine — 15 g
• soy sauce — 10 g
• cornflour — 3 g
• finely shredded fresh ginger — 10 g
• shiitake mushrooms — 400 g
• peanut oil — 41 g
• soy sauce — 30 g
• soy sauce — 5 g
• caster sugar — 4 g
• water — 30 g
• choy sum — 200 g

Time & effort: about 44 min (24 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 91.2 kcal, 2.4 g protein, 5.8 g fat, 7.4 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (5 steps)

1. Marinate the chicken with the Shaoxing wine, marinade soy sauce, cornflour, ginger and sliced shiitake for 20 minutes.
2. Put the rinsed rice and water in a clay pot or heavy lidded casserole with 1 tbsp of the oil. Bring to the boil uncovered over high heat, then cover and cook on low for 8 minutes, until the water has dropped below the surface of the rice and steam holes have opened across the top.
3. Lay the chicken, lap cheong and lap yuk over the rice in a single layer. Cover and cook on low a further 10 to 12 minutes. The cured meats must go on top rather than in at the start: as they warm, their fat renders straight down through the grains, which is the whole reason for cooking rice this way. Ordinary sausage will not do it, and lap cheong is worth a trip to a Chinese grocer.
4. Now build the crust. Drizzle the remaining 2 tbsp oil around the inner rim of the pot, raise the heat to medium and cook uncovered, rotating the pot a quarter turn every 45 seconds, for 3 to 4 minutes. Listen for a steady crackle, and stop when you can smell toasted rice but before it smells of coffee.
5. Mix the finishing soy sauces, sugar and hot water and pour over. Take the pot to the table, lift the lid there, and stir hard from the bottom to bring up the golden crust, the fan jiu. Serve with blanched choy sum.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Chikuzenni (Simmered Chicken and Root Vegetables) — Japanese
• Lo Mein (捞面) — Chinese
• Kenchinjiru (Temple Soup of Root Vegetables and Crumbled Tofu) — Japanese
• Best yet Southern Chicken Stuffing — Southern
• Tamagoyaki (玉子焼き) — Japanese

Keep reading: what umami, salinity, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.