Sticky Rice

[Yuki]

I am trying to cook good sticky rice without a wok at home(is that even possible) and failed twice already.

First time I soaked the rice for at least 10 hrs and cooked it in the rice cooker. I ended up with really mushy sticky rice.....

Second time I soaked it for 4 hrs and steamed it. It turned out not as mushy but I can not see individual grain that well. It is not bad sticky rice but just not very impressive.

So I am looking for a way to cook sticky rice that would give me individual grain(that is either too soft or hard) without a wok. Anyone have any ideas?

[Dejah]

Sticky rice in a wok?

I usually soak the rice for an hour or so, drain off the water, then add water to about half an inch above the surface of the rice. This is cooked in a rice cooker. I then proceed to make sticky rice in lotus leaves.

[Neal J. Brown]

Yeah, you definitly dont want to use a wok, you lose too much moisture. Wash the rice about three times, let it drain for fifteen minutes until it turns very white. Cover it with water plus one-half inch and cook with the lid on until steam starts to escape from under the lid. Wait 30 seconds and then shut off the heat and let sit with the lid on for 10 minutes. Turn out, fluff it and serve it up!!!!! It sounds a heck of a lot more complicated than it is.

[Ben Hong]

Sticky rice is not supposed to appear in individual grains after cooking. It IS supposed to be sticky, soft and tend to stick together. There is a real valid reason why it is called STICKY RICE

Edited December 31, 2004 by Ben Hong (log)

[Yuki]

I think we are thinking about different things.... I am talking about the sticky rice that has lots of chinese sausage, preserved meat, and soya sauce in it. The best sticky rice is made by stir frying in the wok, and you can pick out each grain afterward. It is like fried rice but only with sticky rice.

[Transparent]

Well, reading off my pdf'd page from "The Chinese Kitchen," there's no mention of soaking the rice, just straight to the steamer for a bit over half an hour.

[jo-mel]

Sticky rice is not supposed to appear in individual grains after cooking. It IS supposed to be sticky, soft and  tend to stick together. There is a real valid reason why it is called STICKY RICE  

←

I'm with Ben.

Sticky rice (Sweet rice / Glutinous rice) has a low amylose content and is sticky / waxy after cooking. Even mixed with whatever, the waxy quality is there.

When I make it, I soak it for several hours, rinse till clear and even then it comes out sticky -- not fluffy. It is simply the nature of the beast ---er -- grain.

[hzrt8w]

I think Dejah and Ben Hong and jo-mel are thinking of "sticky rice in lotus leave" (Nor Mai Gai [Cantonese]). Yuki you are thinking of "fried sticky rice" (Chow Nor Mai Fan [Cantonese]).

Here's how I make mine:

Soak the sticky rice grains in water overnight. Drain all water, transfer the grains to a shallow dish and put it in a steamer. Steam for about 15 minutes (without any water added). The result sticky rice should be dry and a bit hard and grainy. Then use a wok/pan, medium high heat, add cooking oil. For add lap cheung and dried shrimp, cook for a minute or so till fragrant. Add peanuts (roasted them first), reconsituted black mushroom (diced). Stir. Then add the sticky rice grains. Fry for a few minutes. At last add soy sauce and chopped green onions.

[Chris Amirault]

If you mean Thai sweet/sticky rice (refered to by both names) then I think the key is steaming, not boiling, the rice. After the long soak, I just put the rice in a wire mesh strainer and put the strainer on top of something inside a pan filled with an inch of water. Steam the rice for 20-30 minutes until you can make little balls out of it. It stays toothy that way, which is the main reason to make it, I think!

[Dejah]

Just checked with my s-i-l who makes the recipe Yuki is talking about. She uses the same method as hzrt, except she stirfries the lap cheung, dried shrimp, and mushrooms and adds them to the rice before steaming. Then she stir fries the mixture quickly (for wok hay...just got my Grace Young book for Xmas ) and adds green onions. She doesn't add soya sauce as all the savory ingredients add enough flavour and colour.

I think adding the savories before steaming makes it easier to mix all the ingredients together.

My mom finds this dish hard to chew and to digest, so the dutiful d-i-l will sometimes steam a little longer and forgo the stirfrying.

Edited December 31, 2004 by Dejah (log)

[Ben Hong]

Ah, now I see what Yuki is driving at. My mother used to make a rice pot that was similar. We Toysanese call it "yu fan" or literally oily rice and it was usually eaten around the harvest season. After the savouries have been added, the final cooking step was to put the pot back on the stove and steep the rice as in making normal rice for about 20 mins. It was and is my absolute favourite rice dish. The savouries included lop cheung, lop yuk, bits of leftover meat, scallions, diced kohlrabi or green beans, dried shrimp, etc. *drool*,. Sorry, it is lunch time where I sit and I gotta go EAT

[Yuki]

I think Dejah and Ben Hong and jo-mel are thinking of "sticky rice in lotus leave" (Nor Mai Gai [Cantonese]).  Yuki you are thinking of "fried sticky rice" (Chow Nor Mai Fan [Cantonese]).

Here's how I make mine:

Soak the sticky rice grains in water overnight.  Drain all water, transfer the grains to a shallow dish and put it in a steamer.  Steam for about 15 minutes (without any water added).  The result sticky rice should be dry and a bit hard and grainy.  Then use a wok/pan, medium high heat, add cooking oil.  For add lap cheung and dried shrimp, cook for a minute or so till fragrant.  Add peanuts (roasted them first), reconsituted black mushroom (diced).  Stir.  Then add the sticky rice grains.  Fry for a few minutes.  At last add soy sauce and chopped green onions.

←

The problem I had was that after the steaming, the rice all stuck together in one big piece. It is impossible to stir it together without a wok. I will try to it again once my stomach gets better.

[hzrt8w]

The problem I had was that after the steaming, the rice all stuck together in one big piece. It is impossible to stir it together without a wok. I will try to it again once my stomach gets better.

←

If you don't want the sticky rice to stick together, I think one trick you can use is after you soak the grains and drain them (and before you steam the grains), pour in some cooking oil. Then thoroughly stir the oil/grain mixture to make some each grain is slightly coated with a film of oil. Then proceed to steam the rice.

Try it and see if it works.

[rjwong]

I think Dejah and Ben Hong and jo-mel are thinking of "sticky rice in lotus leave" (Nor Mai Gai [Cantonese]).  Yuki you are thinking of "fried sticky rice" (Chow Nor Mai Fan [Cantonese]).

Yuki, if hzrt8w is correct, then this must be the dish I would call "Naw Mai Fon", which my aunt would make during the holidays.

You might want to add some long grain rice into the short grain rice. Start with 1 part long grain to 2 parts short grain. Cook the rice in the rice cooker. While the rice is cooking, stir-fry the other items (lop cheung, lop yuk, dried shrimp (soaked), dried mushrooms (soaked), celery, green onions, etc..., all diced up). Add seasonings into the stir-fry (soy sauce, sesame oil). Add on top of the cooked rice and stir. The long grain rice should help make the sticky rice "less sticky."

[yimay]

sounds like you are trying to make You Fan (oil rice). you need to stir fry all of the ingredients together BEFORE steaming. you need to soak the rice overnight, or however long and then stir fry it in some oil with the other ingredients and soy sauce. then you can steam it in a rice cooker. you don't have to use a wok. you can use a large frying pan or any kind of pan with a large cooking surface. sometimes if you've soaked the rice long enough just the long stir frying itself steams the rice enough to eat and there is no need to steam and this will keep the rice grains separate. it will inevitably become mushier if you steam this mixture after stir frying. also, don't eat too much. glutinous rice is not good for you digestive system in large quantities.

<a href="http://www.holyshitake.com/archives/2003/12/oh_christmas_duck_oh_christmas_duck_how_lovely_are_your_juices.html">here</a> is a link to my mom making braised duck with you fan stuffing, or Ba Bao Ya.

Edited December 31, 2004 by yimay (log)

[Yuki]

The problem I had was that after the steaming, the rice all stuck together in one big piece. It is impossible to stir it together without a wok. I will try to it again once my stomach gets better.

←

If you don't want the sticky rice to stick together, I think one trick you can use is after you soak the grains and drain them (and before you steam the grains), pour in some cooking oil. Then thoroughly stir the oil/grain mixture to make some each grain is slightly coated with a film of oil. Then proceed to steam the rice.

Try it and see if it works.

←

Today, I mixed some oil and salt before steaming the sticky rice with a crab on top. It came out a success, and the rice was so good absorbing all the crab flavour.

[jo-mel]

The few times that I've had 'sticky fried rice' -- either in China or in the home of a Taiwanese teacher --- the grains still stuck tgether. Not like the mass within wrapped leaves, but nevertheless it was in clumps. Delicious clumps!!

When I've made it as a side dish, it was the same -- not fluffy, but in clumps.

[origamicrane]

sticky rice photos of ingredients use the slide show in reverse order

well something that might make you all smile

well made this today and a quick recipe is

3 cups thai fragrant rice

1 cup glutinous rice

handful of dried shiitake mushrooms

handful of dried shrimp

1 dried squid

3 chinese wax sausages

1 Tbsp soya sauce

2 Tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp vegetable oil.

1.Soak the glutinous rice in water for a few hours and drain.

2.Rehydrate the dried mushrooms, shrimp and squid in water.

3.Reserve the rehydrating juices as we will use that to cook the rice.

4.Chop up the mushrooms and squid to small pieces.

5.Mix the thai and glutinous rice together into a rice cooker.

6.Take the reserves rehydrating juice and mix in the soya sauce, oyster sauce and the sugar and pour in to the rice cooker and put the sausages into steam too.

7. Half way through the rice cooking take out the sausage chop into slices and fry in the oil until they start to brown then add the shrimps, squid and mushrooms fry for a minute then pour it into the rice cooker mix together and carry on cooking the rice.

8. When it is cooked you can make rounds rice cakes out of it and shallow fry on both sides and serve with chopped scallion yummy!!

hope you like it ;)

Edited January 16, 2005 by origamicrane (log)

[Hector]

I've bought a huge quantity of Sticky rice, I've never cooked it, but I have eaten it alot at many good chinese restaurants. Now I wonder how I should cook it, is there any great recipes how to use it? Look I don't even know how to steam it, have got a steamer though.

[jayt90]

By steamer do you mean rice cooker?

If that is what you have, add water to one knuckle length above the rice, cook it, and when done stir in some rice vinegar as it is cooling. Not too much, but you'll soon learn how much is enough.

[sheetz]

I'm assuming the OP is asking about Chinese style glutinous rice since this is the Chinese cooking forum. I know rice vinegar is added to sushi rice, but I've never heard of vinegar being added to Chinese style glutinous rice. Traditionally, glutinous rice is soaked in water and then steamed or boiled. I've found that I can get good results by soaking it first, then microwaving it with enough water to cover the rice by about half an inch.

Once it's cooked a common Cantonese way of preparing it is to stir fry it with lop cheung, dried shimp, mushrooms, and Chinese bacom.

Other common ways to use it are in joong and nor mai gai (see joong cookoff threads for descriptions of these dishes.)

There's also a famous dessert dish which utilises glutinous rice called Eight Treasure Rice Pudding.

[Apicio]

Or you can follow the thread about “jungs” and try that. Or you can use it for risotto, beats any rice from Italy that I know of and tried. Or you can use it for paella, not authentic but actually better, IMHO. And for dessert, try using it for rice pudding, creamier than any other rice they ask for.

[Ben Hong]

This l'il old Toisanese boy never heard of vinegar in any kind of rice to be served at the table. After six decades on this earth I am still willing to learn though, so tell me what Chinese style(this is after all a Chinese board) would use a vinegared rice.

[halalsushi]

Lol, I'm not Chinese but I also never heard of vinegar being mixed in after cooking rice.

[Chris Amirault]

It isn't rooted in Chinese cooking, but there's lots of discussion of sticky rice on the Thai Cooking at Home thread. I believe that most Chinese uses of sticky rice also require steaming, as in sticky rice in lotus leaves: the rice is steamed once, wrapped around sausage, chicken, mushroom, etc., in a lotus leaf, and then steamed again.