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A bambook basket full of cooked sticky rice

Nuo Mi Fan (Chinese Sticky Rice)

Nuo mi fan (糯米飯) or "savoury sticky rice" is a rich, flavour-packed, aromatic Chinese rice dish using glutinous rice mixed with mouthwatering ingredients.
There are many different variations to making this much-loved dish and this recipe is one I grew up eating and absolutely swear by. This tried and tested recipe is super flavoursome, generous and one worthy of a celebration!
5 from 10 votes
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Soak Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 509kcal

Equipment

  • Steamer (ideally a large bamboo steamer)
  • Steamer cloth (cheesecloth)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups glutinous rice aka sticky rice
  • 3 Chinese sausages aka lap cheong
  • 200 g / 7 ounces pork mince ideally lean (note 1)
  • 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 3 tablespoon dried shrimp skin
  • 4 bulbs shallots thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoon neutral tasting oil

Seasoning

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon shaoxing wine
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients

  • Rinse the glutinous rice 2 - 3 times. Then, soak the rice in a large bowl with cold water, filled to about 6cm / 2 inches above the rice for 3 hours. (note 2)
  • Whilst the rice is soaking, rehydrate the dried shiitake mushrooms for about 20 to 30 minutes with 1 cup of kettle boiled water. Then, squeeze out excess liquids from the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and thinly slice. Set aside. Reserve shiitake soaking water.
  • Soak Chinese sausages with warm/hot water for about 1 minute to soften the casings. Discard the water then peel off the casings. (note 3) Thinly slice sausages vertically, at a slight angle. About ½ cm or ¼ inch thick.

Stir fry - get it aromatic (note 4)

  • Once the rice has soaked for 3 hours, drain the rice well (easiest is with a sieve). Set aside.
  • In a large non-stick pan or wok, add oil and thinly sliced shallots on medium-low heat. Keep stir-frying until shallots have turned deep golden, lightly crispy and fragrant. About 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • In the same pan, add Chinese sausages and shiitake mushrooms and stir fry on medium heat for about 2 - 3 minutes. Add in minced garlic, stir fry for 1 minute.
  • Add half of the golden shallots back into the pan along with pork mince and dried shrimp skin. Turn the heat up to high and stir fry for 2 minutes.
  • Deglaze with shaoxing wine, reduce then add in remaining seasoning ingredients. Stir fry for about 30 seconds, caramelising the soy sauces. Add in drained rice, stir fry for 2 minutes then pour in reserved shiitake mushrooms soaking water.
  • Reduce heat to medium and stir fry for 1 - 2 minutes until the water has been fully absorbed into the rice. Stir in remaining golden shallots. Turn the heat off.

Steam

  • Transfer the rice mixture into a cheesecloth (damp) lined bamboo steamer. I used a 26cm / 8.5 inch wide in diameter bamboo steamer and found it was a perfect size.
  • Steam on high heat with the lid on for 45 minutes undisturbed. Serve hot.

Video

Notes

Note 1. Opt for lean pork mince - the Chinese sausages are already very fatty and more oil is used in the cooking process. However, only a small amount is used in this recipe so it's no deal-breaker if you use fatty pork. 
Note 2. Soak the glutinous rice no longer than 24 hours in cold water- the longer you soak the rice, the softer it becomes. 3 hours if you like tender with a slightly chewy texture (the ideal texture), 12 hours for soft rice. Past 24 hours will make the rice mushy and not great to eat. Cold water gives time for the rice to absorb the water evenly. Soaking with hot water is tricky and can lead to rice being soft on the outside yet hard and grainy on the inside. Stick to cold water for a fool-proof method.
Note 3. Peel the casing off - optional as the casing is edible, however, it does have a slightly tough texture. When used in a dry stir-stir fry such a Chinese Sausage Fried Rice, this step makes a noticable difference to the texture.
Note 4. Get caramelisation on each ingredient for maximum flavour - stir fry the ingredients in the right order to caramelise and develop complexity. This is particularly important for the shiitake mushrooms and shallots.
Items to buy from Asian grocers - glutinous rice, shiitake mushrooms, dried shrimp skin and Chinese sausages (lap cheong).
Leftovers/freezing - freeze for up to 2 - 3 months and up to 4 days in the fridge stored in airtight containers.
Tried this recipe?Mention @Casuallypeckish or tag #casuallypeckish!

Nutrition

Calories: 509kcal | Carbohydrates: 67.2g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 19.2g | Saturated Fat: 4.9g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 877mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 1.9g | Sugar: 8.5g | Iron: 3mg