Chinese Sticky Rice

Chinese sticky rice, or lo mai fan (糯米飯), is a classic Cantonese dish. I've turned my parents' authentic Cantonese Chinese sticky rice recipe into an easy, quick, and fast lo mai fan instant pot recipe. This method is not only convenient but also ensures a delicious outcome.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Chinese

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 426kcal

Author Tracy O.

Equipment

1 Instant pot pressure cooker

Ingredients

2 cups Glutinous rice ( You can use 1.5 cup glutinous rice and ½ cup jasmine rice. )
1 ¾ cups Liquid from soaking dried shrimp and scallops (You can use chicken broth or water)
¼ cup Dried shrimp (8 oz)
¼ cup Dried scallops (1.5 oz)
½ piece Chinese cured pork belly (2 oz)
1 piece Chinese sausage (1.9 oz)
4 Dried shiitake mushrooms (Medium small sized, 0.6 oz)
2 sticks Green onion (1 oz)
½ teaspoon Dark soy sauce

Instructions

Wash and soak 4 medium-small dried shiitake mushrooms (0.6 oz) for 4-6 hours before cooking. (I usually soak them the night before I need them.)
Rinse and soak ¼ cup of dried shrimp (8 oz) for 30 minutes to 1 hour. (I added 2 cups of water to soak the dried shrimp. Save the liquid for later use.)
Then, rinse and wash ¼ cup of dried scallops (1.5 oz) for 1-2 hours. (I added 2 cups of water to soak it. Save the liquid for later use.)
Put 2 cups of glutinous rice (or 1.5 cups of glutinous rice, ½ cups of jasmine rice) in a bowl and add 8 cups of water. Wash the water until it's milky.
Then drain it. Repeat this step 2 more times, for a total of 3 times.
Next, wash and cut 2 sticks of green onion (1 oz) into pieces.
Dice the soaked mushrooms from step 1.
Rinse ½ piece of Chinese-cured pork belly (2 oz), then cut it into slices.
The following step, rinse 1 Chinese sausage (1.9 oz) and dice it.
Turn on the Instant Pot pressure cooker and press the sauté button. Add the diced Chinese sausage and Chinese-cured pork belly from steps 8-9. Stir until oil is released from the meat.
After, add the diced mushrooms from step 7, the soaked dried shrimp, and the soaked dried scallops from steps 2-3 to the instant pot and stir it a bit.
Add the washed glutinous rice from step 5. Then, add ½ teaspoon of dark soy sauce. (The dark soy sauce is used for color. You can skip it or replace it with regular soy sauce.)
Pour 1 ¾ cups of the liquid from soaking the dried shrimp and scallops into the Instant Pot. (You can use water, chicken broth, or vegetable broth.)
Mix it well. Level off the rice and make sure it is covered by liquid. Cover the lid and close the vent. Press the manual button to set the time to 6 minutes at high pressure and then naturally release the pressure.
When the rice is done, open the lid, add the green onion from step 6, and mix it well.

Video

Notes

Cooking tips for how to make Chinese sticky rice:

Use the right rice:

Use glutinous rice (also called sweet rice). Regular rice won't achieve the same sticky, chewy texture. But you can mix 1.5 cups of glutinous rice and ½ cup of jasmine rice if you don't want to feel stuff all day after eating it. The proper rice is crucial to achieving Chinese sticky rice's desired texture and flavor.

Drain the rice well before cooking:

This lo mai fan recipe does not require soaking the glutinous rice because of using an instant pot. After washing the rice, drain it thoroughly to avoid excess moisture so it won't make this dish mushy.

Cook with aromatic ingredients:

Sauté the Chinese sausage and Chinese-cured pork belly for 1-2 minutes to release oil and grease the pot. Then, add the dried shrimp, scallops, mushrooms, and rice to prevent the rice from sticking.

Add the right amount of liquid:

The ratio of rice to liquid is essential in this Instant Pot recipe. 2 cups of rice: 1¾ cups of liquid.

You can use water, but it is highly recommended that you use the liquid from soaking dried shrimp and scallops because of their umami flavor. Alternatively, you can use chicken broth.

Season the rice properly:

I added dark soy sauce to color the dish. If you don't have dark soy sauce, you can use regular soy sauce. If you prefer, you can add oyster sauce. You can also serve it with chill oil, XO sauce, or chill sauce.

Garnish and serve:

Once the rice is done, add chopped green onions to add texture and freshness. Mix it well.

Nutrition