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–+ servings
Chinese sticky rice on a plate.
4.7 from 3 votes

Chinese Sticky Rice

Chinese sticky rice also known as lo mai fan in Cantonese is made of sticky, glutinous rice, shiitake mushrooms, dried seafood, Chinese sausage and Chinese cured meat. It's savory, chewy, super fragrant, and full of umami! It's often served at dim sum and for Lunary New Year but is also great for meal prepping! Enjoy it with some Chinese smashed cucumber salad for a refreshing bite in between or pair it with some bok choy with oyster sauce or Chinese broccoli stir fry to complete the meal.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
 

  • 2 cups glutinous rice preferably long grain
  • 4 pieces dry shiitake mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons dried shrimps doubled if not using dried bay scallops
  • 2 tablespoons dried bay scallops or use more dried shrimps
  • 2 links Chinese sausage
  • 4 ounces Chinese cured meat
  • 1 shallot thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 stalk green onion sliced (greens and whites separated)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce light sodium
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons oil any neutral oil for cooking

Instructions

Prepare glutinous rice:

  • Option 1 - Steaming method:
    Wash and rinse the rice a few times until the water runs mostly clear.
    Cover the rice with at least 1 inch of water and allow it to soak for at least 2 to 3 hours or overnight. After soaking, drain the rice well and transfer the rice to a steam basket lined with damp cheesecloth. Level out the rice and drape the excess cloth over the rice and cover with the lid.
    Place the basket over high simmering water and steam the rice for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked through and looks translucent.
    *You can check the doneness of the rice by taste testing. The rice should no longer be crunchy at all and will be chewy instead. Do be VERY careful! The steam will be very hot!*
  • Optional 2 - Pressure rice cooker method:
    Wash the rice a few times until the water runs mostly clear.
    Use a sieve and drain the rice well. Transfer the rice to the rice cooker along with 1½ cup of water (for every 2 cups of rice). Level out the rice and select the white rice setting.

Prepare the other ingredients:

  • Dried ingredients:
    Rinse each ingredient to remove debris, then cover each with hot water. Allow everything to soak for at least 1 to 2 hours or even overnight.
    Shiitake: Cut off the stems of the mushrooms and cut each into slices.
    Scallops: Drain and shred each scallop into smaller pieces.
    Shrimps: Drain and roughly chop the shrimps if they are big. If you are using small ones, you can keep them whole or chop them.
  • Sauce:
    In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce. Set aside until needed.
    *If you prefer your Chinese sticky rice to be lighter in color, you can use less or even omit the dark soy sauce.*
  • Chinese sausage:
    Rinse the Chinese sausage with hot water to to remove debris. Make a shallow cut along the length of the sausage and peel away the sausage casing. You can also keep the casing on if you prefer. Cut the sausage at a diagonal into thin slices.
  • Chinese cured meat:
    Rinse the cured meat with hot water to remove debris. Remove the skin and cut the pork into small diced pieces, keeping the fatty pieces separate.

Make the Chinese sticky rice:

  • Once the glutinous rice is ready, fluff it up and set it side until needed. Keep the rice warm.
  • In a large pan or wok over medium heat, add the 2 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the sliced shallot and whites of the green onion. Saute until the aromatics starts to turn golden brown.
  • Add the fatty pieces of the Chinese cured meat and saute until they turn golden. Then add the minced garlic and saute briefly until fragrant, about 10 to 15 seconds.
  • Once the garlic is fragrant, add the shiitake mushroom, scallop, shrimp, sausage and cured meat. Saute for a couple of minutes until everything is fragrant.
  • Add the fluffed, hot glutinous rice. Drizzle ¾ of the sauce over the rice and toss, saute, and smash the rice until the rice is even in color and loosened. Drizzle in the remaining sauce and saute until the rice is even in color.
  • Finish by adding the green parts of the green onion and give the rice a few final tosses. Serve immediately and enjoy while warm.

Notes

Please refer to the post above for step by step photo reference, tips, storage, and FAQs!
  • Dried shrimps and scallops - Dried shrimps are the most common dried seafood added to Chinese sticky rice, but scallop adds another layer of umami and texture. If you have both, we recommend using both. If you only have one or the other, simply double up on the one you use.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 667.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 83.7g | Protein: 17.4g | Fat: 28.1g | Saturated Fat: 7.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4.6g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 36.8mg | Sodium: 1541.6mg | Potassium: 174.3mg | Fiber: 3.2g | Sugar: 2.4g | Vitamin A: 30.5IU | Vitamin C: 2.5mg | Calcium: 35.7mg | Iron: 2.4mg
Keywords: Chinese New Year, fried rice, holiday, Lunar New Year
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