What is clay pot rice?
Clay pot rice is a Cantonese dish of rice cooked in a small clay pot with savory toppings. Tender grains and a toasted bottom crust make every pot distinctive.
More than rice in a bowl.
Clay pot rice is a Cantonese dish in which rice is cooked in a small clay pot with savory toppings. The pot is part of the cooking, not simply a serving bowl.
You may encounter it as bo zai faan. Toppings range from Chinese sausage to chicken and eel, giving the rice different flavors as it cooks.
Its defining contrast is soft rice alongside the toasted crust that develops against the pot.
The last spoonful can be the best.
The rice in contact with the heated pot can develop a golden crust. Achieving that texture takes care with heat and moisture.
Known as 锅巴 or 饭焦, it adds a toasted crunch to the softer rice above. It is one of the pleasures that makes clay pot rice memorable.
Two textures. One clay pot.
Tender rice
Soft rice above.
Golden crust · 锅巴
Toasted rice below.
Many clay pots. A distinctly Taishan tradition.
Clay pot rice belongs to Cantonese food culture. Within that broader tradition, Taishan has a particular connection to yellow eel rice.
Local accounts connect Taishan yellow eel rice with Shuibu and Baoxing. They describe its growing popularity in the 1980s and 1990s.
A local origin story tells of a fisherman making a quick rice meal with eel. It is a folk tale, rather than a verified account of how all clay pot rice began.
At Clay Pot House, yellow eel rice is part of our own Taishan identity. Our restaurant’s story begins with our owner’s experience in Taishan and continues here in San Francisco.
Further reading: Shuibu Town’s account of Taishan yellow eel rice · MICHELIN Guide’s introduction to Cantonese clay pot rice.
Take a moment. Enjoy every texture.
New to the dish? Ask our team about the menu and how to enjoy your meal.
Choose your flavor
Explore yellow eel, chicken with dried mushrooms, Chinese sausage and other menu options.
Mix and discover
Gently mix the toppings and rice to enjoy their flavors together. The pot may be hot, so take care.
Look for the crust
Discover the toasted rice near the bottom and enjoy the contrast with the tender grains above.
Before your first bite.
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No. Clay pot rice has distinct grains and savory toppings. Congee is rice porridge. Both appear on our menu.
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It is a Taishan rice specialty featuring yellow eel. You will find it in our clay pot rice menu, alongside other Taishan-inspired dishes.
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It is a separate category on our menu: lotus leaf–wrapped rice served in a bamboo steamer, with its own selection of toppings.
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Explore our Taishan yellow eel, chicken with dried mushrooms, or spareribs with preserved meats. Ask our team if you would like help choosing.