Glutinous Rice with Shitaki & Chestnuts
This dish is traditionally made in a clay pot and cooked over an open flame. But today it has been modernized and simplified, rendering it an easy-to-make dish that offers deep flavors like the original. But one tradeoff for the simplistic method here is that, by using a rice cooker, you will not be left with a crispy fond of burnt rice stuck to the bottom of the pot, which for many is the highlight of the dish. In fact, you can make this dish using a clay pot instead of a rice cooker (see note below), imparting a deeper, earthen sensation and appearance and, of course, that crispy fond. But for an Asian-inspired savory alternative to holiday turkey stuffing, this recipe is both simple and delicious.
Ingredients:
½ onion or large shallot, medium-fine diced
6 oz Chinese Pork Sausage, cut into ¼” oblong rounds
3 dried Shitaki Mushroom Caps (soaked in warm water to soften), sliced into ¼” strips
2 Tbs Dried Chestnuts (soaked in warm water to soften)
2 Tbs Dried Baby Shrimp (optional)
1 Tbs Oyster Sauce
1 Tbs Dark Soy Sauce
1 Tsp Sesame Oil
⅛ tsp white pepper
1 ½ cups Glutinous (sticky) Rice
~3 cups water (per rice cooker instructions)
2 Scallions, thinly cut into rounds (for garnish)
Directions:
In pan or work on medium high, sauté the Chinese sausage, diced onion, mushrooms, chestnuts and dried shrimp (optional). No need for oil as the fat from the Chinese sausage is more then enough.
Add a splash or two of soy sauce for flavor.
When lightly cooked, pour cooked mixture to rice cooker pot and add the rice to the pot.
Add oyster sauce, soy sauce and water to rice cooker pot.
Steam the rice mixture in accordance with rice cooker instructions. Rice will turn brown and become sticky and dense.
Once rice is cooked, let it sit for 15 minutes.
Stir the cooked rice mixture to distribute everything evenly, sprinkle scallions on top and serve
Note: If you want to make this the old fashioned way in a clay pot instead of rice cooker, simply follow the directions above, except cook in clay pot over a flame, rather than in a rice cooker.