Chinese Clay Cooking Pot

Chinese clay cooking pots are used to make traditional clay pot dishes. One of the most popular is Hong Kong clay pot rice with cured pork belly and wind dried sausage. Once cooked, the rice is golden and crispy on the bottom.

Most clay pot recipes use jasmine rice as it has a wonderful aroma and sticky texture. The rice can be topped with pork ribs, shiitake mushrooms and soy-marinated chicken.

These clay cooking pots are known as a shāguo in Mandarin or a bàozai in Cantonese. They are perfect for making one-pot dishes at home.

The pot has an earthenware clay exterior and brown glazed interior. It has a short handle so you can carry it from stove to table.

The lid locks in moisture and flavour during the cooking process. The result is fragrant, fluffy rice topped with succulent meat and vegetables. The clay pot stays hot for a long time so your food will stay warm while you eat.

Read our ultimate guide to Chinese clay pot cooking.

Caring for your clay pot:

Before first use, soak your clay pot in warm water overnight and leave to dry. After cooking, wash the pot in hot water and dry before storing. The clay pot is not dishwasher safe.

Never place a clay pot into a preheated oven as this may cause it to crack. Instead, place the pot and its contents into a cold oven and then set the temperature. The clay pot can be used on a gas hob but this requires pre-soaking and a very gentle heat.

These summary details have been prepared for information purposes only, and are designed to enhance your shopping experience on the Sous Chef website.  While we have taken care in preparing this summary and believe it is accurate, it is not a substitute for your reading the product packaging and label prior to use.  You should note that products and their ingredients are subject to change.