Chinese sticky rice is one of those rice dishes that seems intimidating but is actually quite simple to make with a little patience. I kept this as simple as possible and only used shitake mushrooms and Chinese sausage as the toppings but some other very popular additions include shrimp and egg.

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Foolproof way to cook Chinese sticky rice

Methods I don’t enjoy

After soaking the glutinous rice, there are multiple methods you can go about cooking it. Many like to steam the rice which is a great option if you want plain sticky rice. Another way is to use a rice cooker, but I find there is too much guessing involved with the water levels. And more often than not, the rice gets stick together.

The foolproof method I use

There is a method called stir fried sticky rice which involves cooking the rice on a non stick pan. Slowly add 2 tbsp of water or stock into the rice and stir. Then cover with a lid for 2 minutes to steam. You want to repeat this process until the rice is cooked through. This is by far my favorite method because you can constantly check on the texture and add more or less water accordingly. The last thing you want is an overcooked, mushy place of sticky rice and this is the way I get it perfect every time.

How to prepare glutinous rice

Sticky rice aka glutinous rice has a distinct chewy texture to it. In order to achieve this result, you want to soak the rice in water for at least a few hours. This allows the rice to absorb moisture and cook evenly. In the picture below, I have already strained the glutinous rice and you can see that the grains are slightly larger and easier to break in half.

Dried shitake mushrooms and stock for Chinese sticky rice

Dried shitake mushrooms can be easily found in most Asian grocery stores. A quick way to rehydrate them is by soaking in boiling water, then covering with plastic wrap for 45 minutes.

You can do this while the glutinous rice is soaking as well. Once the mushrooms are rehydrated, squeeze out all the excess water in them and dice them up. You will want to reserve the mushroom stock used to rehydrate the mushrooms as the liquid to cook our rice.

Types of sausage in Chinese sticky rice

Chinese preserved pork sausage (lap cheong)

To me, this is the ultimate addition to any rice dish. It is a fatty, and slightly sweet sausage with a firm texture (from preserving) compared to most other types of sausage. I like to cut it up into smaller pieces because there is so much flavor and you want to maximize that throughout. You can find lap cheong in the preserved foods section at an Asian grocery store.

Chinese preserved liver sausage (yun cheong)

So if lap cheong is the younger, more likeably sibling then yun cheong is the older brother. They have the exact same texture and fatty content, however, yun cheong is more rich and less sweet. It’s a hard flavor to describe but together they work perfectly. Another non negotiable protein for my rice dishes. Here is a picture of what they look like after I cut them up:

Why use a nonstick pan?

Usually I use a non stick wok for my recipes, however, using a non stick pan will save a lot of trouble. When sticky rice is cooked, it tends to get…sticky. So if we do not use a non stick pan, the rice will stick and burn while it cooks.