Stir-Fried Sticky Rice

Sticky rice is a classic Chinese stuffing. It is most often served at festivities but you can find this on a lot of Chinese restaurant menus.

There are a couple of ways to make sticky rice. This recipe is the stir-fried version. Several years ago, I attempted this staple at a Chinese New Year family dinner. 

Upon inspection, my mom critiqued, “It’s not sticky enough. I don’t think you added enough water.”  

I replied, “I made the stir-fried version.” 

“Oh!” She takes a bite. “Then you did a very good job.” She looks over at Dude, who probably had a look of shock on his face. “Well… I have to tell her otherwise she won’t make it for me again!”

Boom! Chinese mom disappointment averted!

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients

3 cups glutinous rice¹
6 dried scallops
2 oz dried shrimp
5-6 Chinese sausage
1 strip preserved pork belly
6 fresh shiitake mushrooms or 3-4 dried shiitake mushrooms
5-6 stalks green onion
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce

Instructions

1. Soak glutinous rice in cold water for 6 hours. It can be soaked for a minimum of 4 hour and up to overnight. Drain well.
2. Soak dried scallops in cold water for 30-60 minutes, until they shred easily.²
3. Soak dried shrimp in hot water for 10-30 minutes, until they are softened.²
4. If using, soak dried mushrooms in warm water for at least 30 minutes. Drain, rinse and gently squeeze out excess water.
5. Cut Chinese sausage, pork belly, and mushrooms into ¼ inch cubes.³
6. Finely chop green onion, separating white and light green parts from dark green parts.
7. Drain the rice. Drain and shred the scallops, saving the liquid. Drain the shrimp, saving the liquid.
8. Heat a wok on medium and add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add Chinese sausage, pork belly and mushrooms and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the wok.
9. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in the wok. Add the rice, scallops, shrimp and white and light green parts of the green onion. Stir fry until rice is sufficiently coated with the oil. Add the meat mixture and 2 tablespoons soy sauce to the rice and mix together.
10. Flatten the top of the rice and start adding the scallop liquid ¼ cup at a time by sprinkling all over the rice. Listen to the liquid evaporate. When the liquid is gone, stir the rice around and repeat by flattening the top of the rice and adding the next ¼ cup of liquid. Repeat until the rice is done. By the fourth time try a grain of rice to see if it’s cooked through. It should not be grainy and raw. If you run out of scallop liquid, use the shrimp liquid or water. The amount of liquid may vary depending on how long the rice was soaked for.
11. Once the rice is cooked through, stir in remaining green onion and 1 tablespoon soy sauce, if needed. Serve hot.

Notes

¹Glutinous rice is also labelled as sweet rice.
²Soak times will depend on the size of the scallops and the shrimp.
³Blanching the Chinese sausage and dried pork belly will facilitate slicing.

Print Recipe

Stir-Fried Sticky Rice

Prep Time6 hours hrs

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Keyword: Chinese sausage, sticky rice

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cups glutinous rice¹
• 6 dried scallops
• 2 oz dried shrimp
• 5-6 Chinese sausage
• 1 strip preserved pork belly
• 6 fresh shiitake mushrooms or 3-4 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 5-6 stalks green onion
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
• 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce

Instructions

• Soak glutinous rice in cold water for 6 hours. It can be soaked for a minimum of 4 hour and up to overnight. Drain well.
• Soak dried scallops in cold water for 30-60 minutes, until they shred easily.²
• Soak dried shrimp in hot water for 10-30 minutes, until they are softened.²
• If using, soak dried mushrooms in warm water for at least 30 minutes. Drain, rinse and gently squeeze out excess water.
• Cut Chinese sausage, pork belly, and mushrooms into ¼ inch cubes.³
• Finely chop green onion, separating white and light green parts from dark green parts.
• Drain the rice. Drain and shred the scallops, saving the liquid. Drain the shrimp, saving the liquid.
• Heat a wok on medium and add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add Chinese sausage, pork belly and mushrooms and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the wok.
• Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in the wok. Add the rice, scallops, shrimp and white and light green parts of the green onion. Stir fry until rice is sufficiently coated with the oil. Add the meat mixture and 2 tablespoons soy sauce to the rice and mix together.
• Flatten the top of the rice and start adding the scallop liquid ¼ cup at a time by sprinkling all over the rice. Listen to the liquid evaporate. When the liquid is gone, stir the rice around and repeat by flattening the top of the rice and adding the next ¼ cup of liquid. Repeat until the rice is done. By the fourth time try a grain of rice to see if it’s cooked through. It should not be grainy and raw. If you run out of scallop liquid, use the shrimp liquid or water. The amount of liquid may vary depending on how long the rice was soaked for.
• Once the rice is cooked through, stir in remaining green onion and 1 tablespoon soy sauce, if needed. Serve hot.

Notes

¹ Glutinous rice is also labelled as sweet rice.

² Soak times will depend on the size of the scallops and the shrimp.

³ Blanching the Chinese sausage and dried pork belly will facilitate slicing.