Amy Poon’s Chinese claypot rice: A one-pot wonder with beef and egg

“This Chinese claypot rice with beef is one of my favourite things to eat at gatherings. My father was one of the first to introduce claypot rice to the UK when he opened Poon’s & Co in 1973.

Its beauty is in its simplicity: it’s made in one pot and cooks in under 30 mins. There’s an alchemy that occurs with clay and fire, and rice cooked this way has a particular fragrance, texture and taste.

If you don’t have a claypot, a regular saucepan or cast-iron pan will work. The steam from the rice cooks the meat gently and the juices trickle through the rice, forming a crispy base. It’s a dish that brings me great comfort.

Serves: 2

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

150g beef mince

12g water chestnuts, finely diced

5 coriander sprigs, leaves picked and reserved, stems chopped separately

½ tsp salt

½ tsp caster sugar

3 tbsp potato starch

1 pinch ground white pepper

1 tbsp soy sauce, plus extra for drizzling

½ tsp toasted sesame oil

½ tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing

230g jasmine rice, rinsed

1 medium egg

1 salad onion, sliced

200g pak choi greens (or use choi sum), steamed

Method:

1. Put the beef, water chestnuts, coriander stems, salt, sugar, potato starch, white pepper and 1 tbsp soy sauce in a bowl; mix well by hand.

2. Mix in 3 tbsp water until absorbed. Repeat with another 2 tbsp water. Add the sesame and vegetable oils and mix for a further 2 mins.

3. Tip the beef mixture onto an oiled plate and shape into a patty roughly the diameter of the pan you plan to cook in, making a shallow indent in the middle to hold the egg later. Set aside.

4. Put the rice into a claypot or lidded pan (approx. 24 cm) with 270ml water. Bring to a boil and cook for 12 mins or until the visible water is absorbed.

5. Slide the beef patty on top of the rice; cover. Reduce to a medium-high heat for 90 secs, then reduce a little more and cook for 8 mins. Reduce to the lowest heat and cook for 4 mins more.

6. Pop the whole egg (or just the yolk) in the indent. Sprinkle with the salad onion and reserved coriander leaves, add an extra drizzle of soy sauce and serve with the steamed greens. Mix it all together just before you get stuck in.

Recipe from OcadoLife at Ocado.com