Taiwanese Sticky Rice (台湾油饭)
Taiwanese Sticky Rice is called You fan (油饭). People in Taiwan will gift this dish to their friends to celebrate newborn babies. You can also serve it whenever there is a family gathering. You can tell how delicious this dish is as it has such an important societal role in Taiwanese cuisine.
- Prep time
- 14 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 3 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 2 cup glutinous rice soaked 2 hours in advance
- 6 dried mushrooms
- 25 g dried shrimp
- 200 g skinless pork belly
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/3 cup Chinese cooking wine
- 4.5 tbsps. of soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup mushroom soaking liquid
- 1 tsp five spice powder
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1/3 cup fried shallots
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 piece of lotus leaf soak in hot water to soften
- Carbon Steel Wok
Instructions
- 1
Rinse and rub the glutinous rice several times until the water becomes clear. Soak the glutinous rice with clean water for at least 2 hours.
- 2
Soak the dried shitake mushrooms and dried shrimp with clean water for 2 hours.
- 3
Place a wet cheesecloth on the steamer. Drain the glutinous rice and put the rice on top of the cheesecloth. Make some holes to allow air circulation. Steam over medium heat for 30 minutes (Count the time after the water has been brough to a boil). There are many ways to cook glutinous rice, but steaming is the best method in maintaining the qq texture because the rice doesn’t contact the water directly.
- 4
During this time, you can drain the mushroom and shrimp. Save the soaking liquid to use later. Slice the mushroom and pork belly thinly.
- 5
Stir the pork belly in the wok without oil over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until you can see a lot of oil rendered out from the pork.
- 6
Add the garlic, shrimp and mushroom slices. Saute for a few minutes to activate the umami flavor.
- 7
Add Chinese cooking wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, five-spice powder,white pepper, crispy fried shallots, and sesame oil. Stir this for a minute to mingle everything.
- 8
Pour in about 1/2 cup of the mushroom soaking liquid, reserve the rest on the side just so you can adjust the consistency later.
- 9
By now, the glutinous rice should be done steaming. Toss it into the wok. Mix until you don’t see any white rice. Keep an eye on the sauce amount while you are stirring. Turn off the heat as soon as all the sauce is gone, or else the rice will start sticking to the wok. Adjust the consistency of the rice by using the rest of the mushroom soaking liquid.
- 10
Place a piece of lotus leaf in the steamer and transfer the flavorful rice into the steamer. Poke some holes all the way through the lotus leaf for better circulation. Steam over medium heat for 20 minutes.
- 11
Garnish with cilantro and some extra crispy fried shallots.