Clay pot cooking
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clay pot cooking is a technique of cooking food in an unglazed clay pot which has been soaked in water so as to release steam during the cooking process. This technique has a long history, stretching back at least to ancient Roman times, and is commonly used in several cuisines in Southeast and East Asia.
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[edit] Names
In Chinese, the pot used for such cooking is generally known as nga5 bou1 (瓦煲; pinyin: wabào) or 砂煲 (pinyin: shābào). Clay pot style dishes are called 煲仔類 or 煲仔.
[edit] Cooking techniques
Typically, an unglazed clay pot is submerged for 15 to 30 minutes to absorb water before cooking, then filled with the food and placed into an oven. The walls of the pot help to diffuse the heat, and as the pot warms it releases the water as steam.
The food inside the clay pot loses little of its moisture because it is surrounded by steam, creating a tender, flavorful dish. The evaporation of the water prevents burning so long as the pot is not allowed to heat until it is completely dry. Because no oil needs to be added with this cooking technique, food cooked in a clay pot may be lower in fat compared with food prepared by other methods such as sautéing or frying. And unlike boiling, nutrients are not leached out into the water.
Because of the heat lost to the evaporation of water, clay pot cooking requires higher oven temperature and longer cooking times than traditional roasting with dry heat. Clay pots may be cleaned by scrubbing them with salt; soaps or detergents should not be used, because the clay may absorb them.
[edit] In Asian cuisines
Clay pot cooking is particularly popular in the cuisines of Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and China.
[edit] China
In Chinese cuisine, clay pot dishes are often labeled as "hot pot" or "hotpot" dishes on the menus of Chinese restaurants in English-speaking areas of the world.[1] These dishes should not be confused with hot pot dishes that are served in a large metal bowl and cooked at the table. One of the dim sum dishes that uses this cooking style is "Phoenix talons paigu rice" (鳳爪排骨飯), which combines chicken feet with rice. When served outside of China, however, this dish is generally cooked in a metal pot rather than a clay pot.
[edit] Japan
In Japan, the clay pot used to cook with is called a donabe.
[edit] Taiwan
In Taiwan, the chicken dish sanbeiji is prepared in a clay pot.
[edit] Vietnam
In Vietnam, the stew-like dish called kho is cooked in a clay pot. The pot is most often called nồi đất in Vietnamese, although, depending on its size and use, it may also be called nồi kho cá, nồi kho thịt, nồi kho tiêu, or nồi kho tộ.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Clay Pot Cooking Overview How to use and care for a clay pot with clay pot recipes
- Romertopf Clay Bakers How to Choose the Proper Size Romertopf Clay Baker
- African Pygmies pot cooking Food preparation in the rain forest
- Claypot Chicken With Bitter Gourd Traditional chinese recipe
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