Sticky Rice

[Chris Amirault]

A lot of people are using oyster sauce pretty indiscriminately now as a "boost' in flavouring up a dish. The propensity to do so has a lot to do with the recommendations in a lot of the new cookbooks. One would think that with all the "liu" that RJ has put into his rice, oyster sauce would be more of a "mask' instead of enhancement. With the amount of liu depicted, a bit of soy sauce is all that I would need. I want to taste the constituents and not have them overwhelmed by oyster sauce. It is a "rice" dish after all.

←

This seems very smart to me, Ben (and Ah Leung, who made the same point). The recipes in the newest Yin-Fei Lo cookbook (The Chinese Kitchen) seem to me to be overseasoned, and in the version I prepared, the taste of the individual ingredients in the "liu" (if I understand correctly) were muddled a bit by the oyster sauce. In particular, I thought that the interplay between the lowly celery, of all things, and the other ingredients was muted, which really detracted from the entire dish.

I feel as if I'm being reminded here of something important in the constitution of these dishes. Next time, I'll try it as Russell suggests -- and I like the addition of the beans for a different texture, Ben.

[rjwong]

Chris, I'm glad you'll take my suggestions, despite my youth and inexperience.

I'm making another batch of naw mai fon for my Thanksgiving dinner today.

[BettyK]

Russell, your Naw Mai Fon looks really scrumptious. I could eat this everyday ...

and dope on antihistamines. (seafood allergy - but that doesn't stop me).

OK, I will be good and I will reduce the dried shrimp when I make it.

[Less-is-More]

Two of my absolute favorites with sticky rice:

Dim Sum Sticky Rice "Nor My Gai" Recipes:

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari...=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

I've made Nor My Gai twice in the past week, and just don't think my rice is cooked as gluey (glutinousy) as the Nor My Gai I used to get in SF.

I used sweet rice, and followed some directions for cooking I found online. One time, I tried steaming it on cheesecloth in a bamboo steamer for 20 mins, letting it sit for 5 mins. The second time, I steamed it for an hour. Both seemed less "plumped up and gluey" than when I had it in dim sum places in SK and HK.

Is this because the Nor My Gai in restaurants has been steamed and resteamed? And sits around in the bottom of a cart?

I like the glueier texture, and would love to replicate it.

My bag of rice does not have instructions, although I did see a recipe online where the rice was boiled instead of steamed...

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Dejah]

I cook nor mai the same way I cook regular long grain rice, either on top of the stove or in an electric rice cooker. The texture depends on the amount of water you use in the cooking - the more water, the "gluier" the rice.

For the texture that I prefer - sticky but still maintaining the individual grains, I soak the rice for about an hour, then cook with about 1/4 inch of water above the surface of the rice. Once the pot boils, I turn the heat to the lowest setting and let it finish cooking in about 15 minutes or so.

[rjwong]

Less-is-More, are you talking about cooking plain sticky rice (short-grain rice, not long-grain rice)? Or are you talking about making Chinese Sticky Rice (Naw Mai Fon) , with all the Chinese sausage, Chinese bacon, dried shrimp, dried mushroom, etc.?

If you have access to the cookbook, The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook by Gloria Bley Miller, there is a section on cooking rice, either boiled or steamed. Generally, long-grain rice is more absorbent & needs more water; short-grain rice uses less than long-grain:

Long-grain rice: 1 part long-grain to 1 1/2 part water (for boiling)

Short-grain rice: 1 part short-grain to 1 part water (for boiling)

What gets more interesting is when you combine the two types of rice and start experimenting.

[Less-is-More]

Or are you talking about making Chinese Sticky Rice (Naw Mai Fon), with all the Chinese sausage, Chinese bacon, dried shrimp, dried mushroom, etc.?

If you have access to the cookbook, The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook by Gloria Bley Miller, there is a section on cooking rice...

What gets more interesting is when you combine the two types of rice and start experimenting.

For the texture that I prefer - sticky but still maintaining the individual grains, I soak the rice for about an hour, then cook with about 1/4 inch of water above the surface of the rice. Once the pot boils, I turn the heat to the lowest setting and let it finish cooking in about 15 minutes or so.

Thanks to both of you for responding. I'm going to have a Dim Sum Party in February, so I'd love to get this nailed down...

rjwong: I'm talking about the steamed rice in lotus leaves (Nor My Gai), with the mushrooms, sausage, ham, etc... The recipe called for glutinous rice, so I bought "sweet rice" from Thailand. (I couldn't find a chinese brand) I'm assuming this is the right rice, but maybe not... Looks short grain to me... No, I don't have that book. Too bad, but thanks for the basics. I have seen recipes for Nor My Gai with a mixture of rice. Maybe I'll try that once I get the glutinous rice the way I like it.

Dejah: I'll give boiling a go. Thanks!

[Dejah]

Less-is-more:

When I make nor mai fan in lotus leaves, I cook the rice separate from the rest of the ingredients.

While the rice is cooking, I would stir-fry the diced lap cheong, mushrooms, lap yook, shrimp, onion and sometimes peanuts with oil and seasoning. Then when the rice is cooked, I mix it all up together in a big bowl, make the packets with the presoaked lotus leaves, then steam for 20 minutes.

Leftover packets can be frozen for later enjoyment.

There are 2 "sizes" of sweet rice; one is short and plump - dai nor(like moi! ), and the other skinny with pointed ends - sai nor mai. I have used the kind from Thailand and it's fine. If it says "sweet rice" then it's glutinous.

The only time I mix regular long grain and glutinous short grain is for zoongzi.

[Less-is-More]

Less-is-more:

Leftover packets can be frozen for later enjoyment.

Glad to hear they freeze well. I was planning to try that for my party. Do you freeze them after assembling them OR after steaming the assembled packet? Do you need to thaw them before steaming or just steam them longer? Thanks!

[Dejah]

Less-is-more:

Leftover packets can be frozen for later enjoyment.

Glad to hear they freeze well. I was planning to try that for my party. Do you freeze them after assembling them OR after steaming the assembled packet? Do you need to thaw them before steaming or just steam them longer? Thanks!

←

You can freeze them after assembling, then just steam for the same amount of time as freshly assembled ones - 20 minutes before serving. No need to thaw them before steaming.

[Chris Amirault]

Made it for the umpteenth time tonight, but we were out of celery. Turns out that the celery makes a Huge difference, not just texturally but also in terms of flavor. That vegetal backbone really brings out the meatiness of the lop yuk and lop cheung.

I am forever grateful for this topic, I must say. It's become a family staple!

[Ben Hong]

Jeeze Chris, any more of these posts and we'll have to make you an honorary "Egg". (caucasian sinophiles). I love your efforts.

[Seitch]

The dish would be just as tasty, maybe tastier, when cooked together with the liu on top of the rice . It certainly would be softer to the palate.

←

Definitely, yau fan tastes best when the ingredients are cooked together starting with the uncooked rice. That's how my family makes it.

[Tepee]

Simultaneous Cooking...is the way I do it.

Start steaming rice and start cooking the liu at the same time on different stoves. By the time I finish frying the liu, the water in the rice is just about soaked up. Pour liu on top of rice. Continue steaming till rice is fully cooked. Then give it a good mix. To me, that way, the liu retains its mei and the rice is able to soak up all that flavor.

[Chris Amirault]

Making it again tonight for guests with gai lan and Grace Young's tomato beef recipe (fan ke gnul yok -- we've got lots of tomatoes from our garden to use), and I realized that I haven't steamed the lop yuk once since I've been using my own homemade version. It's much, much less stiff.

I really urge everyone to make their own for this dish; Grace Young has a version in her Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen, and you can find the one I use here in Recipe Gullet.

[Dejah]

Making it again tonight for guests with gai lan and Grace Young's tomato beef recipe (fan ke gnul yok -- we've got lots of tomatoes from our garden to use), and I realized that I haven't steamed the lop yuk once since I've been using my own homemade version. It's much, much less stiff.

I really urge everyone to make their own for this dish; Grace Young has a version in her Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen, and you can find the one I use here in Recipe Gullet.

←

You young'uns are so ambitious. I watched my mom's labour of love making lap yuk and decided I'm too lazy for that. We don't eat a lot of it, and the only part that I really enjoy is the rind! I did buy a piece in the Asian grocery store, only because I bought a cast iron pot and now craving lap mai fan.

I also made nor mai fan in lotus leaves for supper tonight, with left over filling and making joong. We had it with dou mew stir-fried with garlic, and BBQ duck.

For brunch, we had chicken congee, cruellers, sui mai, and lok bak goh. Dessert was mango pudding.

[Chris Amirault]

Recipes, please!

[Dejah]

Recipes, please!

←

Which one (s), Chris?

I have actual recipes for siu mai, and mango pudding, but nor mai fan and lap mai fan I just DO it.

Lobak goh recipe is from Grace Young's Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen. I made one and a half times the recipe. The specific pan I use is 10" x 3", and it was to the top! I'm just glad that lobak goh doesn't "boil over".

[Chris Amirault]

I think I know what you mean about just doing it. Increasingly I find that my naw mai fon method is to go to the grocer, get whatever is available and looks good -- fresh mushrooms, long beans, Chinese celery (hard to find here) -- and then add whatever I think is missing -- dried mushrooms that I've reconsituted, agroconglomerate green beans or celery -- to the meats, onions, and rice.

Can people comment on what types of rice they use? I've been using mostly 100% medium grain Nishiki, but I tried it with a 1:1 Nishiki:sticky rice mixture last time, which seemed good, too.

[msphoebe]

I'll be making this tomorrow and hope it turns out as well as the original post's pictures -- they make my mouth water! I did my shopping this morning at the Asian Market nearby and found everything I need with no trouble. The clerk at the cash register asked what I was making and when I told her, she reached under the counter and opened her lunch container. Naw Mai Fon! We had a nice (although short) conversation about all the things one could add (she suggested ham, and perhaps peas) for variation.

I do have a question, though, about Chinese Celery. They had some in the produce section, but it is quite different in appearance from the standard celery I normally use. Chinese celery has very tiny stalks and a lot of leaves.

So, if I wanted to use Chinese Celery in this dish (or any other, I suppose), would I chop both stalk and leaves and use all of it?

Thanks for any suggestions or comments.

[hzrt8w]

[...]I do have a question, though, about Chinese Celery.  They had some in the produce section, but it is quite different in appearance from the standard celery I normally use.  Chinese celery has very tiny stalks and a lot of leaves. 

So, if I wanted to use Chinese Celery in this dish (or any other, I suppose), would I chop both stalk and leaves and use all of it? 

←

Until you pointed out, I didn't realize there is a difference between celery and "Chinese" celery. I know the difference between American Broccoli and Chinese Broccoli - they are different species. Are there differences in celeries?

As for using it in this dish: the Chinese Sticky Rice (Fried) that I grew up eating in Hong Kong does not have celery. May be it's a Chiu Chow style? They do put roasted peanut (with skin and a bit of salt) in the sticky rice.

[Dejah]

Chinese celery has a stronger flavour than the usual N.A. variety in supermarkets. You may want to use the latter variety in nor mai fan so as not to overpower the other ingredients. I use Chinese celery in stir-fries as the main vegetable with meat.

I made leen yeep fan for my students last week. It's such a pain to try and incorporate the liu with the sticky rice. Next time, I will do as Tepee does: simultaneous cooking, then mix the liu in once the water boiled off has boiled off.

And, I added peanuts, but I didn't like them.

[ulterior epicure]

I don't know how to effectuate the phoenetic spelling in English, but from the sound, the best I can do is "jio niang."

I first experienced this sweet porridge/soup some years ago, and fell in love with it again last year in China. I recently had it and I'd love to make it at home. I know it's not difficult because my friend showed me once, and I know where to get all the ingredients.

Here's the method I know:

1. Cook four cups of glutenous rice.

2. Grind/pound and thoroughly mix in one "ball"'s-worth of some substance - I'm not sure what it is exactly, and my friend didn't know the name in English... I'm guessing it's a yeast cake of some sort? Anyone can help me out on this?

3. Pat the rice down into a non-reactive container (not plastic) and make a well in the center.

4. Dust the top of the rice with flour.

5. Cover tightly and place in a warm dark spot for at least 3 days.

What you end up with is a soupy mix of fiberous rice and a sweet slightly alcoholic fermented liquid that tastes a lot like nigori (unfiltered) sake. The rice kernels are still intact, although all of the starch has leached out and fermented, so really, the kernels are just "empty" structures of the basic fibers of the grain. I've had it served plain, both cold and hot, or mixed with tapioca, or other glutenous/gelatinous ingredients.

Can anyone tell me if:

1. This process is correct?

2. What that "yeasty" stuff is? (The catalyst, if you will)

3. Would love to hear about variations, etc... especially, if you have any tips on making the stuff extra sweet.

Thanks!

u.e.

[liuzhou]

酒酿jiu niang

1. This process is correct?

2. What that "yeasty" stuff is? (The catalyst, if you will)

1. Yes, basically

2. Brewers' yeast.

There a recipe here.

[Tepee]

Hmm....3 days is too short. Here's a Tutorial. Delicious added to noodle soup (whether it's braised chicken or prawn/seafood).

Edited February 13, 2007 by Tepee (log)