Chinese Sticky Rice (Authentic Lo Mai Fan)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup sticky rice ((sweet rice, or glutinous rice))
• 2 tablespoons dried shrimp
• 1 Chinese sausage (Lap Cheong) ((lap cheong))
• 1/3 cup unsalted raw peanuts
• 3-4 dried shiitake mushrooms ((dried or fresh))
• 2 stalks green onion
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy
• 1/2 teaspoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine ((or dry sherry))
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons Japanese panko bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons deep crispy fried onions ((store bought))
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Soak the Glutinous Rice ---

2. 2

   The first step is to soak the glutinous rice in a bowl of warm water for a minimum of 4 hours. If possible, leave it overnight. This soaking process will allow the grains of rice to absorb water and become soft and sticky when steamed.

3. 3

   --- Preparation ---

4. 4

   Soak 3-4 dried shiitake mushrooms and 2 tablespoons dried shrimp in hot water.Depending on the size, it may take 30 minutes to an hour. Try to fully submerge the shiitake mushrooms under water by placing a small plate into the bowl to weigh them down.

5. 5

   In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine and set it aside for later.

6. 6

   Finely chop the green onions and set aside

7. 7

   --- Steaming the Rice ---

8. 8

   Once the rice is thoroughly soaked, place it in a steamer along with the soaked dried shrimp and Chinese sausage.

9. 9

   Set the stove to medium heat and steam the ingredients for 30 minutes in a steamer. It’s crucial to ensure that there’s enough water in the steamer to last the entire steaming process, but the water level should not be too high as to touch the rice.

10. 10

    --- Making the Crispy Bits Toppings (Optional) ---

11. 11

    Set the stove to low heat and add a bit of oil

12. 12

    When the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, 3 tablespoons Japanese panko bread crumbs and 3 tablespoons deep crispy fried onions and keep mixing so it doesn't burn.

13. 13

    Once it is golden brown, remove it from the heat and set aside for later

14. 14

    --- Making the Egg Ribbon Toppings (Optional) ---

15. 15

    Set the stove to medium heat and add a bit of oil into the pan

16. 16

    In a small bowl, use a fork to beat the egg until well mixed and frothy

17. 17

    Once the pan is heated, pour in the beaten eggs and swirl them around to evenly spread them across the pan’s surface. To make thinner ribbons, use a large pan, so that eggs can spread further out on the pan.

18. 18

    Remove the egg from the pan and let it cool

19. 19

    Once it's cooked, roll it up and cut them into ribbons, set aside to top at the very end.

20. 20

    --- Stir Frying the Sticky Rice ---

21. 21

    Remove the Chinese sausage and dried shrimp from the steamed rice and finely chop it

22. 22

    Squeeze the excess water from the shiitake mushrooms. If a stem is still intact, cut it out and discard it (they are usually tough). Roughly chop up the shiitakes into small bits.

23. 23

    Roughly chop the peanuts

24. 24

    Set the stove to medium heat and add some oil into a frying pan

25. 25

    Add in the peanuts and lightly toast it for 1 minute

26. 26

    Add in the Chinese sausage and cook it to release some of the oils (approximately 1-2 minutes)

27. 27

    Add in the dried shrimp and shiitake mushrooms and shaoxing rice wine and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.

28. 28

    Add the steamed sticky rice to the pan and gently break it apart by mixing the other ingredients with into it. The goal is to separate the rice grains as much as possible. The more oil there is, the easier this will be.

29. 29

    Add the sugar/soy sauce mixture to the rice and, continuing to stir the ingredients together until all the rice is coated with it.

30. 30

    Add in 1 tablespoon dark soy and mix it until the color gets evenly distributed.

31. 31

    At this point, do a taste test. Is it too dry? If it is, add 1 tablespoon of water and keep mixing. Repeat this step until you get the right chewy consistency you want.

32. 32

    Add in the green onions and mix into the sticky rice

33. 33

    (Optional) Add in the crispy bits and top it with the egg ribbons

34. 34

    Enjoy! :)