Taiwanese Sticky Rice (Authentic Recipe)
A dish that always brings a smile to my face is my Mom’s Authentic Taiwanese Sticky Rice, also known as youfan, “oil rice,” 油飯.
Taiwanese Sticky Rice is the ultimate comfort food that most Taiwanese households grew up eating. Juicy chicken, chewy (QQ) rice, tossed in savory umami sauce; when steaming the sticky rice, the house will smell amazing.
The key to GOOD Taiwanese Sticky Rice is when the rice is chewy, not soggy, and every grain is coated in sauce.
I am making Chicken Sticky Rice, but you can also use Chinese sausage, thin pork slices, or serve it as a vegetarian dish.
You can find Taiwanese Sticky Rice at night markets, street vendors, and any life milestone celebration events.
People in Taiwan gift Taiwanese Sticky Rice to their friends and family to celebrate the newborn baby’s full moon event (one month after their birthday), to celebrate health and happiness.
Not going to lie; this is for sure my favorite gift to receive from my friends because Taiwanese Sticky Rice is super delicious.
There are so many secret small tips that make your Taiwanese Sticky Rice restaurant-style quality!
The first secret tip is to soak your glutinous rice ahead of time.
I recommend soaking for at least a minimum of 3 hours or overnight. Soaking the rice ahead of time will help cut down the cooking time, therefore preventing the rice from becoming soggy or mushy.
The second secret tip is to make holes in the rice before steaming.
Creating gaps between the rice will allow the air to flow stream, enabling the rice to cook evenly.
The third secret tip is to be gentle when pan-frying the rice.
You want to be patient and allow the rice to absorb all the sauce and stock without breaking the individual grains.
The final tip is to be generous with you’re seasoning and oil.
It is called “oil rice” for a reason, the more oil you add in, the most flavourful and delicious your sticky rice will be. The oil also helps prevent the rice from overly sticking together.
To make Vegetarian Taiwanese Stick Rice is easy and super yummy!
All you have to do is omit the dehydrated shrimp and chicken. I recommend doubling the amount of shiitake mushroom and add in chopped cashew.
Using dehydrated shiitake mushrooms will be more fragrant than fresh ones, and you can also use the stock to season the rice.
Do you want more Taiwanese Recipes? Here are some of my go-to Taiwanese recipes that you will LOVE!
- Popcorn Chicken (EXTRA CRISPY & JUCIY!)
- Beef Shacha Fried Rice (20 Minutes)
- Beef Noodle Soup (Authentic Family Recipe)
- 3 Cup Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 3 cups of Glutinous Rice (soak for 3 hours+)
- 400ml of Mushroom Water or Chicken Stock
- 5 pieces of Chicken Thigh (bite-sized pieces)
- 3 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp of White Pepper
- 1 tsp of Sugar
- 1.5 tbsp of Sesame Oil
- 4 Shallots (sliced)
- 1 cup of Dehydrated Mushroom (soaked in water to hydrate)
- 3 tbsp of Dehydrated shrimp (rinse clean 2x)
- 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 2.5 tbsp of Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
- Soak the Glutinous Rice in water for at least 3 hours or overnight, drain and set aside.
- Marinate chicken thigh with 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce, 1 tsp of White Pepper, 1.5 tbsp of Sesame Oil, and 1 tsp of sugar.
- In a pan, add a generous amount of oil (~3 tbsp) and add sliced shallots; saute for 1-2 minutes on medium heat.
- Next, add in dehydrated shiitake mushroom and dehydrated shrimp. Saute for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add in the marinated chicken thigh, and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
- Drizzle in 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce and 2.5 tbsp of Vegetarian Oyster sauce, add in the drained glutenous rice, mix well.
- Pour in chicken stock, mushroom water, or vegetable stock. Gently fold the rice until all the rice has soaked up the sauce, be gentle not to break the rice. (takes around 3-5 minutes)
- Line steamer with parchment paper or lotus leaf. Make holes in the rice with a chopstick to let the air in. make as many as you can.
- Steam for 20 minutes.
Taiwanese Sticky Rice
By Tiffy Cooks
Equipment
- steamer
Ingredients
- 3 cups Glutinous Rice soak for 3 hours+
- 400 ml Mushroom Water or Chicken Stock
- 5 pieces Chicken Thigh bite-sized pieces
- 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp White Pepper
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1.5 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 4 Shallots sliced
- 1 cup Dehydrated Mushroom soaked in water to rehydrate
- 3 tbsp Dehydrated shrimp rinse clean 2x
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2.5 tbsp Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
Instructions
- Soak the Glutinous Rice in water for at least 3 hours or overnight, drain and set aside.
- Marinate chicken thigh with 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce, 1 tsp of White Pepper, 1.5 tbsp of Sesame Oil, and 1 tsp of sugar.
- In a pan, add a generous amount of oil (~3 tbsp) and add sliced shallots; saute for 1-2 minutes on medium heat.
- Next, add in dehydrated shiitake mushroom and dehydrated shrimp. Saute for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add in the marinated chicken thigh, and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
- Drizzle in 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce and 2.5 tbsp of Vegetarian Oyster sauce, add in the drained glutenous rice, mix well.
- Pour in chicken stock, mushroom water, or vegetable stock. Gently fold the rice until all the rice has soaked up the sauce, be gentle not to break the rice. (takes around 3-5 minutes)
- Line steamer with parchment paper or lotus leaf. Make holes in the rice with a chopstick to let the air in. make as many as you can.
- Steam for 20 minutes.
Video
Notes
- The first secret tip is to soak your glutinous rice ahead of time. I recommend soaking for at least a minimum of 3 hours or overnight.
- The second secret tip is to make holes in the rice before steaming Creating gaps between the rice will allow the air to flow stream, enabling the rice to cook evenly.
- The third secret tip is to be gentle when pan-frying the rice. You want to be patient and allow the rice to absorb all the sauce and stock without breaking the individual grains.
- The final tip is to be generous with you’re seasoning and oil.
Been trying to recreate my dad’s recipe after he passed away. I am currently making the vegetarian version with double mushrooms and cashews, using my dad’s steamer and cheesecloth. Added a the sesame oil and white pepper from the marinade as well. Doubled the recipe because that’s the rice and mushrooms I had and followed the recipe. I’m currently at one hour though of steaming and the rice still isn’t cooked through. It was soaked overnight, cooked with the broth and shallots until the liquid soaked in, and holes were poked through with chopsticks. The rice is still opaque and not cooked through. It seems to taste ok other than the rice texture, slightly bitter. Not sure what’s gone wrong.
Firstly, my edits, I used pork shank, pork broth, tamari, and shiitake mushrooms that weren’t dehydrated.
Secondly, mine didn’t come out as vibrant at the photos. I assume if you want a deeper color, using some dark soy sauce in addition in light soy sauce (or tamari) will bring a deeper color.
Third, as another comment mentioned, some of the rice isn’t perfectly soft. I don’t mind it and I didn’t get any bitter flavor, but you might want to steam for longer and perhaps add a bit more broth.
Forth, I was unsure how long to marinate the meat, so I did around 2 hours.
All in all, I’m very happy. Sticky rice was one of my FAVORITE foods when I lived in Taiwan, especially after a day at the beach. This recipe is very easy and surprisingly quick (minus the rice soaking time). And, it’s even better as leftovers.