The rice bottomed out, and I finally saw the soul of the claypot rice, the rice was burnt.

I know a neighbor aunt who still insists on cooking rice in a clay pot instead of a rice cooker, just because the rice will burn in the mouth.

In the world of claypot rice, good rice char is defined as follows: it can be completely removed by scraping with a hard spoon, the color is golden and translucent, and the bite is "crispy" and elastic, never chewy. Greasy

To make good rice, the choice of pot and rice is important, but it is also inseparable from the blessing of oil and fire.

▏煲▕

Cantonese people often choose stoneware clay pots for making clay pot rice. Such pots have slow heat transfer and strong heat preservation.

There is a saying in the world called "Youth Pot", which refers to a pot that has only been used once or twice. It is said that the old pot absorbs oil until it is full, which will make the rice turn yellow and unsightly, while the new pot has Although there are various flavors, only the claypot rice made by "Youth Claypot" is the best.

When eating claypot rice, you will find that some claypots are equipped with wires. What is its function? Under the attack of fierce fire, the clay pot is prone to cracks, so it is necessary to "cook it with hoops". "Hoop pot" is a craft work. Iron wire is used to fix the pot body tightly. Over time, the cracks will disappear. The word "hoop pot" in Cantonese has also been extended to mean falling in love and getting back together after a breakup.

▏rice▕

As for rice selection, silk seedling rice is the most classic, and there are also rice mixed with oily rice in a certain proportion. Each claypot rice specialty store has its own secret recipe for preparing rice. The ultimate goal is to find a balance between the softness and "glutinousness" of the rice, leaving a fragrant aroma in your teeth and cheeks after eating it.

▏Oil▕

You need to add oil twice during the process of making clay pot rice. The first time you add oil is to apply a circle of lard in the pan before putting it on the pan to create a natural non-stick pan. The second time, when the cooking water is slightly dry, open the lid and pour a circle of oil along the edge of the pot to make it easier to scrape up the final burnt rice. The amount of oil is well controlled, making the pot instantly plump.

Lard cannot be replaced by vegetable oil. Cai Lam once shared an interesting anecdote about claypot rice, “Once I introduced on the radio that a restaurant sells this pot of mustard pork belly and claypot rice. Lard, a man stopped his car and ordered a pot of it while he was driving, regardless of the law. "It sounds very friendly, the feeling of being seduced by the aroma of lard and getting carried away. , only then can I be satisfied by having a complete claypot rice by myself.

▏Fire▕

In the past, charcoal fire was used to cook claypot rice all the time. The charcoal stove allows the rice to be heated evenly, making it easy to burn the rice, and the taste is rich in charcoal aroma.

Most of the current clay pot rice restaurants use a gas stove to boil the rice before moving it to a charcoal fire. There are also specially designed stoves with digital temperature control, but this method Claypot rice "always feels lukewarm."

It tastes pretty good.