You’ll find oven-baked rice in many Hong Kong-style cafés, or cha chaan tengs. The most popular one is pork chop baked rice: fried pork chop and tomato sauce nestled over a bed of fried rice, baked in a casserole with a crown of shredded cheese.
Instead of a fried pork chop, this recipe uses slices of CDO Holiday Ham. Thanks to the pineapple glaze, the ham has a savory and sweet flavor that, when paired with tomato fried rice and cheese, tastes a lot like pizza!
This cheesy ham baked rice takes a bit of patience to finish, but trust us: it’s worth every minute of waiting. Dig into it as soon as it leaves the oven, while the cheese is hot and stretchy.
CDO Holiday Ham and other CDO Christmas hams are available in supermarkets near you! You can also order online via CDO Home Delivery on Facebook, official Shopee and Lazada stores.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 small white onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup uncooked white rice, rinsed
- 1 cup chicken stock or water
- ¼ cup crushed tomatoes or tomato purée
- 6–8 slices CDO Holiday Ham
- ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup grated mozzarella cheese
Prepare for baking: Preheat oven to 350°F or 176°C.
Cook rice: Heat oil in a deep skillet or pot over medium-low heat. Add minced onion and garlic. Slowly cook until softened, avoiding too much color, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, 3–4 minutes. Add uncooked rice and toast grains, stirring to coat, about 3 minutes. Pour chicken stock, then increase heat to bring liquid to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook rice until tender, 10–12 minutes.
Assemble baked rice: Transfer cooked rice to a ceramic or glass casserole dish. Spread out rice in an even layer, then top with crushed tomatoes. Arrange slices of CDO Holiday Ham over the tomatoes to cover the rice, overlapping the pieces as necessary. Cover ham with an even layer of grated cheeses.
Bake: Bake until the cheese has completely melted and turned into a golden brown crust, 5–10 minutes. Serve immediately and dig in while hot.
