Taiwanese Baked Rice Casserole with Five-Spice Pork and Cheese

About This Recipe

Jiao kao fan, baked rice casseroles topped with a savory sauce and melted cheese, are a beloved modern comfort food in Taiwan, sold at cafés and diners as a Western-influenced but distinctly local dish. Ground pork is stir-fried with five-spice and soy sauce, folded into steamed rice, then topped with a tomato-cream sauce and a generous layer of mozzarella before baking until bubbling and golden. The technique that makes this dish work is packing the rice down firmly in the baking dish so it holds together when scooped, then pouring the sauce over the top rather than mixing it in, so you get distinct layers — savory pork rice on the bottom, tangy tomato-cream in the middle, and a stretchy, browned cheese crust on top. This dish reflects Taiwan's habit of adapting Western comfort food formats — casseroles, gratins, baked rice — into something seasoned with distinctly local flavors like five-spice and soy sauce. It's genuinely popular in modern Taiwanese cafés, not an invented combination, even though its roots are more mixed than a single traditional dish.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 cupscooked white rice
• 300 gground pork
• 1 tbspneutral oil
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 0.5 tspfive-spice powder
• 3 tbspsoy sauce
• 1 cupcrushed tomatoes
• 0.5 cupheavy cream
• 1 tbspketchup
• 1.5 cupsshredded mozzarella
• 2scallions(sliced, for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the pork

   Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the pork for 5 minutes, breaking it up, then add garlic and cook 1 minute more.

2. 2

   Season the pork

   Stir in five-spice and 2 tablespoons soy sauce, cooking 1 minute until fragrant.

3. 3

   Layer the rice

   Spread the cooked rice into a baking dish, pressing down firmly. Scatter the seasoned pork evenly over the rice.

4. 4

   Make the sauce

   Whisk together crushed tomatoes, cream, ketchup and remaining soy sauce. Pour evenly over the rice and pork.

   Pour the sauce over rather than stirring it in — keeping distinct layers is what gives this dish its characteristic texture when you scoop into it.

5. 5

   Add the cheese and bake

   Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over the top. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese is deeply golden and bubbling.

6. 6

   Serve

   Let rest 5 minutes, then scatter with sliced scallions and serve straight from the baking dish.

Variations

• •

  Seafood version: swap the pork for a mix of shrimp and squid, common in Taiwanese café versions of this dish.

• •

  Curry twist: add a teaspoon of curry powder to the tomato-cream sauce for a Japanese-influenced flavor also popular in Taiwan.

• •

  Vegetarian: use sautéed mushrooms and diced tofu in place of the pork.

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat covered in a 180°C (350°F) oven until warmed through, about 15 minutes; the microwave will make the cheese rubbery.

Frequently Asked Questions