Ba Bao Fan (八宝饭)

Rinse 1 rice up of black rice a few times (don't worry if water has a deep purple color) and immerse the black rice in water for at least 1 hour to allow it to soften.

While waiting for black rice to soften, rinse 1 rice cup of glutinous/sweet rice a few times and pour it in the rice cooker. Add water until the water slightly passes the 1 cup mark for sweet rice. (If your rice cooker doesn't have sweet rice option, cook it as regular rice and add water to the 1.25 mark.)

When the glutinous rice is done cooking, carefully transfer the hot rice into a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and 2 tablespoons of sugar to the hot glutinous rice and mix everything evenly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap to help prevent the glutinous rice from drying out.

Wash the rice cooker. Pour out the water used for soaking the black rice and add the black rice to the clean rice cooker. Add enough water until it reaches the 1 cup mark for brown rice. (If your rice cooker doesn't have brown rice option, cook it as regular rice and add water to 1.5 mark.)

When the black rice is done cooking, carefully transfer the hot rice into a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and 2 tablespoons of sugar to the hot glutinous rice and mix everything evenly. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap if not using immediately.

Prepare all the other ingredients. Slice two died jujubes in half crosswise and another two lengthwise. Brush a small bowl with a thin layer of vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Then lay the dried fruits and nuts in a pattern on the bottom and sides of the bowl (see pictures). If you are not planning to steam/eat right away, you can line the bowl with plastic wrap to allow you to lift out the rice and freeze for later.

Add a few spoonful of cooked black rice and carefully use the back of a spoon to press the black rice and flatten the surface. Then add a thin layer of sweet red bean paste and flatten again. Finally, add another layer of glutinous rice to fill the bowl. If there is still room, you can add another layer of black rice. Repeat the same steps to make additional bowls of ba bao fan. You can freeze the extra ones for use later.

Boil enough water in a steamer. When water is boiling, put the filled bowls on the steamer rack. Cover and steam for 15 minutes. When the timer is up, turn off the heat. Carefully transfer the bowl to a plate with the opening side down. Gently separate the bowl from its contents. This should result in the ba bao fan resting on the flat plate by itself without the bowl. Enjoy!