Super tender, soft sticky rice is one of those dishes Hubby and the boys scarf down like there’s no tomorrow. They’re hardly alone in their affinity for savory sticky rice. A hot pot of steamy, deeply flavorful sticky rice means comfort food in kitchens around the world.
Buying And Storing Short Grain, “Glutinous” Rice (Gluten-Free)
Chinese Sticky Rice is surprisingly easy to pull off at home. The key is buying the correct rice. Look for short-grain glutinous rice, which is sometimes also labeled sweet rice, despite the fact that it doesn’t taste noticeably sweet. Short-grain glutinous rice can be found at major grocery stores (in ethnic aisles) or Asian grocery stores, as well as online.All uncooked rice keeps fresh longer when stored in an airtight container and in cool, dry spaces. If you have a small bag of uncooked rice and can manage to keep it in the fridge, that’s the ideal situation for keeping grains fresh for a long time. A cool/dry basement space works well as a storage for most of your grains as well.
Importantly, you’ll want to pre-soak the glutinous rice for a few hours before you cook it. The pre-soak helps soften the outer surface of the rice grains and allows for even cooking throughout
Shiitake Mushrooms And Chinese Sausage
I deviated a bit from traditional Chinese sticky rice in this alternate sticky rice with ground turkey (the commonly used Chinese Sausage or lap cheong isn’t normally stocked in my pantry.) I always have ground turkey on hand, and it’s an amazing protein choice for adding to sticky rice. That said, purist foodies may be partial to the rich flavor Chinese Sausage. Admittedly, there’s nothing quite like the sweet, savory, flavorful aroma of it.
Leftover Sticky Rice
Feel free to make a big pot of this savory sticky rice, as you’ll thank yourself for having leftovers. When you open the fridge to survey meal options the next day, that already-cooked, delicious sticky rice will be ready and waiting.Freeze It, Meal Prep It
Want to freeze cooked sticky rice? Not a problem. Simply store it in an airtight container and freeze for up to a couple weeks; use meal prep containers for individual servings, if desired.Chinese Sticky Rice
This sticky rice recipe is a fail-proof, super easy, and crowd-pleasing dish. Most of the ingredients can now be found in the Asian aisles of your favorite grocery stores.Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr Total Time: 55 mins Servings: 10
- 3 cups uncooked short-grain glutinous rice, not sushi rice, soaked in water for 3-4 hours
- 1 cup dehydrated/dried Shiitake mushrooms
- 5 links of Chinese Sausage, lap cheong, diced
- 1 TB vegetable oil
- 1 TB finely minced, peeled fresh ginger
- ⅓ cup Chinese cooking rice wine
- 4 TB regular soy sauce or tamari, gluten-free
- 3 TB Asian oyster sauce
- 4 tsp Asian pure sesame oil, brown in color, highly aromatic
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 2 ⅓ cups good chicken broth
- ½ cup thinly sliced scallions, greens only
Rehydrate dried Shiitake mushrooms by soaking in warm water for about 1 hour. Drain well and chop. Set aside.
Drain soaked rice and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Heat up a heavy large pot (I use my largest All-Clad) with 1 TB oil until hot. Add ginger and stir fry for a minute. Add Chinese sausage and Shiitake mushrooms, stir frying for another minute. Add in rice wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, and rice. Stir to coat thoroughly. Add broth, stir to incorporate, and bring to a boil.
Once it reaches a boil, immediately reduce to simmer. Cover tightly and cook 45 minutes. Turn heat off and let it sit for at least 10 minutes, covered. Do not peak!
Carefully stir cooked sticky rice, from bottom to top throughout. Cover and let stand another 10 minutes before serving.
Garnish with freshly sliced scallions, if desired. Chopped cilantro or chives work well, too.
- You may use reduced-sodium chicken broth instead of regular strength.
- Prep/Cook time does not include pre-soaking of rice and shiitakes.
