Chinese casseroles
2 min readThe traditional Chinese casserole is an earthenware pot, known as a Sand-Pot or Clay-Pot.
Casseroles are among the most ancient cooking utensils. It is speculated that the first earthenware pot evolved from the technique of cooking fowl or small animals by encasing them in mud or wet clay, then baking them in hot stones and ashes. By the time the food was cooked, the mud or clay had hardened, and the art of pottery was born.
Chinese casseroles are meant for stove-top cooking. Because they are unglazed on the outside, they are porous and have to be ‘seasoned’ before placing directly over gas or electric heat for the very first time.
There are two ways of doing this: Either soak the casserole in water for 24 hours, then dry thoroughly before use. Or rub the outside bottom surface with a cut clove of garlic until the entire surface is darkened and moist, then fill the pot with salted water, place it over a low heat and slowly bring the water to the boil; let it boil for 4–5 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and leave to cool before emptying the water, and drying the pot thoroughly.
Two important points to remember: never place an empty sand-pot on the heat – there should always be liquid (water or oil) in the pot to prevent it from cracking. Never place a hot casserole on a damp or cold surface – the combination of hot pot and wet or cold surface will crack the pot.Apart from that, casserole cooking is easy and simple, therefore you should achieve a success rating of 95–100% for all the dishes.
