Chinese Restaurant Style Sticky Rice Recipes

HOW TO MAKE STICKY RICE (FOOLPROOF METHOD!)

Steps:

• Add the sticky rice to a mixing bowl or other deep container. Fill it with water so that the water level is at least 3 inches above the rice, as the rice will expand when soaking.
• Soak for 6 to 24 hours. Soak it longer if you want your sticky rice to have a softer texture.
• Drain the water (no need to shake off the excess water), and evenly arrange the soaked sticky rice on a heat-proof, rimmed plate or bamboo steamer lined with natural steamer liners or parchment paper.
• Cover and steam for 30-45 minutes. When making larger batch of rice, steam in two batches or steam longer. You can check the rice and increase the steaming time if need be.
• Keep the sticky rice in the steamer or covered to prevent drying out until you serve it or use it in a recipe.

CHINESE STICKY RICE

Steps:

• Do ahead: Rehydrate dried Shiitake mushrooms by soaking in warm water for about 1 hour. Drain well and chop. Set aside.
• Drain: Drain soaked rice and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
• Heat: 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.
• Simmer: 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!
• Stir and Stand: Carefully stir cooked sticky rice, from bottom to top throughout. Cover and let stand another 10 minutes before serving.
• Garnish and Serve: Garnish with freshly sliced scallions, if desired. Chopped cilantro or chives work well, too.

CHINESE RESTAURANT-STYLE STICKY RICE

Steps:

• Place rice in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl. Rinse under running water, swishing with hands until water runs clear. Drain thoroughly.
• Bring rinsed rice, water, and salt to boil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, uncovered, until water level drops below surface of rice and small holes form, about 5 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until rice is tender and water is fully absorbed, about 15 minutes. Serve.

STICKY RICE WITH CHINESE SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Cover rice with cold water by 1 inch in a large bowl and soak at least 2 hours. Drain in a sieve and rinse well under cold running water.
• Soak mushrooms in warm water 30 minutes, then drain, squeezing excess liquid back into bowl, and discard liquid. Rinse mushrooms to remove any grit, then discard stems and coarsely chop caps. 3Quarter sausages lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Heat a wok over high heat until just smoking. Add peanut oil and heat, swirling in wok, until just smoking. Add ginger and scallion and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add sausage and stir-fry 1 minute, then add mushrooms and stir-fry 1 minute. Add chestnuts and stir-fry 1 minute. Stir in rice wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt, and white pepper and remove from heat. Add drained rice and stir to coat.
• Transfer mixture to a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot and add broth (broth will not completely cover rice). Bring to a simmer, stir once, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 25 minutes more, then remove from heat. Stir from bottom to distribute ingredients and let stand, covered, 10 minutes before serving.
• *Available at Asian markets and Kam Man Food Products (212-571-0330).

CHINESE RESTAURANT FRIED RICE

Steps:

• Cook your rice (I use a rice cooker). You want it a bit on the crunchy side, so even though you might want to add more water, DON'T.
• Let your rice cool completely (I spread it out on a baking sheet and put it in the freezer if I'm in a hurry). You can even cook your rice the night before and let cool in the fridge.
• Heat a wok over high heat with 1 tbs. of oil. Add eggs and scramble until cooked. Add ham and peas and fry for about a minute.(You can add or omit any veggie/meat combo you want.).
• Remove omelet from wok. Clean the wok out a bit so the leftover egg doesn't burn while you're heating up your wok and oil again.
• Add remaining oil to the wok and heat over high heat until it is very hot. Add your cold rice to the wok and stir to coat every grain. (You can add some more oil if you want; it just depends on how greasy you like it.).
• Add your chicken stock to the rice; do it a little bit at a time to give the rice a chance to soak up the liquid. I'm not sure exactly the amount of stock to be added; I eyeball it because it seems to change every time. Basically, you want the rice to soak up the flavor, but you don't want to put in too much as it will end up quite sticky.
• Stir fry for a while, stirring constantly until there is no liquid left, then chop up your omelet and add it, along with the soy sauce and salt. Stir. You can add more or less soy sauce and salt according to your taste. NOTE: In this case, the salt is simply to enhance the flavor of the dish, not to make it salty. And remember that soy sauce is salty in itself--unless you use the salt-free or low-salt type. (It is an MSG substitute.).
• Enjoy! It's the best homemade fried rice you'll ever make!