Nature Pagoda

"Nature Pagoda is a tiny mom-and-pop that has been around since the ’90s. The entire menu is based on traditional Chinese medicinal principles meant to balance the body for optimal health. The quaint restaurant serves traditional herbal teas and medicinal soups, but the star is clay pot rice (bao zai fan), a Hong Kong specialty. The rice at the bottom of the clay pot is crispy, while the interior rice is moist and steamed with ingredients like mushrooms, bamboo shoots, Chinese sausage, pork ribs, and salted fish with ground pork and tofu. All clay pot rice dishes are made to order, so prepare to wait." - Kristie Hang

"Nature Pagoda is a tiny mom-and-pop spot that has been around since the ’90s. The entire menu is based on traditional Chinese medicinal principles meant to balance the body for optimal health. The place serves traditional herbal teas and herbal medicinal soups, but the star dish is the clay pot rice. A Hong Kong specialty, clay pot rice (bao zai fan) is a one-pot meal that is similar to Korean bibimbap. The bottom of the rice is crispy while the rest of the rice is moist and steamed with ingredients like mushroom and bamboo shoots, Chinese sausage and pork ribs, or salted fish with ground pork and tofu. All clay pot rice dishes are made to order so it may be a bit of a wait." - Kristie Hang

"Jonathan Gold made his way back to KCRW to discuss the rice at the bottom of the clay pot at Nature Pagoda in the San Gabriel Valley. It’s an interesting listen, and part of what Gold truly does best." - Farley Elliott

"This week, Jonathan Gold makes his return to LA to do what J. Gold does best, sharing what would otherwise be an under-the-radar gem on the fringes of the city. Such is Nature Pagoda out in the San Gabriel Valley, a restaurant specializing in Chinese herbal soups and Cantonese clay pot rice. The Time critic discusses the ubiquity of crunchy rice in cuisines across the globe, an art that is sometimes lost with the prevalence of electric rice cookers: At Nature Pagoda, it’s all about the Cantonese hot pot that requires the perfectly timed processes of sauce pouring and mixing: The Goldster calls particular attention to the varieties made with fresh frog, chicken with lily flower, and preserved meat, but also recommends the four mixed herbs with black chicken soup and wei kei with rabbit soup." - Crystal Coser