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Claypot rice with minced beef

Serves 4 persons, 40 minutes.

Image 01 - Poons Claypot rice with minced beef

Claypot rice is a dish that was introduced to the UK by my father Bill Poon at his first restaurant in London, Poon’s & Co. which opened in 1973. You can use a variety of toppings like chicken and Chinese mushrooms, traditional wind-dried meats or pork belly with shrimp paste but minced beef is a classic and perennial favourite.

Ingredients

Beef
  • 150g of beef mince
  • 12g of preserved kohlrabi, also known as tai tow choy, finely chopped (available in Asian supermarkets)
  • 5 coriander stalks, finely chopped
  • 5 tbsp of water
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp of potato starch
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 tbsp of vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp of light soy sauce
  • 1 pinch of freshly ground white pepper

 

Claypot
  • 230g of jasmine rice (link to Poon’s Jasmine rice)
  • 300ml of boiling water
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tbsp of Poon’s soy sauce (link to Poon’s Soy)
  • 1 spring onion, sliced
  • 1 handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Preparation

  1. Place the beef mince in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment fitted. Add the coriander stems, kohlrabi, salt, sugar, potato starch, white pepper and soy sauce and mix at medium speed until well combined. You could also do this in a regular bowl and use your hands to combine everything together
  2. Add 3 tablespoons of water and mix until fully absorbed, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of water and mix again until fully absorbed. Pour in the vegetable and sesame oils, then mix for a final time at a medium speed for 45 seconds
  3. Transfer the beef mixture to an oiled plate and form into a flat patty that is approximately the same diameter as the the pot in which you are cooking the rice, making a shallow indent in the middle
  4. Wash the rice until the water runs clear then place it into a claypot or a heavy-bottomed saucepan with a lid. Place over a high heat and add 300ml of boiling water.
  5. As soon as the rice has absorbed the visible water, deftly slide the beef patty on top of the rice and immediately cover with the lid. Reduce to a medium-high heat and leave for 90 seconds, then reduce the heat to low. After 8 minutes further reduce the heat to a very low heat for 4 more minutes
  6. When you are ready to serve, lift the lid and crack a fresh egg into the indent in the beef. Sprinkle over a handful of chopped coriander and spring onion and drizzle over the dark soy sauce. Mix everything together before eating.
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