Claypot rice is a very special food in Guangzhou where I come from. When I moved to New Zealand, it was the one thing I missed the most. Back there, you find shops selling claypot rice everywhere from back alleys to top restaurants. You can smell them even before you see them, and when I was little, my parents would often take me to their favourite one where we sometimes had to wait for up to 30 minutes because they cook it from raw rice in a claypot. I was so happy when I discovered Nan Xin Restaurant had my favourite mushroom chicken claypot rice. One bite and it really reminds me of my childhood. The rice is cooked over fire and retains a smokey flavour. The best part of eating claypot is having the crispy, charred bits of rice stuck at the bottom of the pot which to me is the most flavourful part. Nan Xin's claypot rice has it all, the old-school flavours I know and love. This dish is indeed so special to me, and I believe for Auckland too.