This Instant Pot Asian sticky rice stuffing is perfect for those who are adventurous. It’s truly savory good and easy to make. The sticky rice stuffing is topped with crispy panko breadcrumbs topping too! It’s perfect for your Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any holiday meals.
Thanksgiving Instant Pot Asian Sticky Rice Stuffing
CHINESE STICKY RICE (GLUTINOUS RICE)
Chinese sticky rice dish is absolutely one of our family’s favorite. Mom likes to cook it for special occasions. The inspiration of this Asian sticky rice stuffing for Thanksgiving comes from this pressure cooker Lo Mai Gai. This dish is a favorite by many Asians. The Chinese like to prepare this type of sticky rice dish with Chinese sausage. The Chinese sausage is more at the sweet side. Some people like them some don’t. We love them.
WHY YOU WILL LIKE THIS ASIAN STICKY RICE STUFFING RECIPE
1. EASY YET ROBUST IN FLAVOR
I tried to “simplify” this recipe as I considered it more as Asian fusion instead of traditional/authentic lo mai gai. The idea is not to overwhelm people who like to try something different this Christmas or Thanksgiving, like this sticky rice stuffing. The taste is still amazing and the kids love it. The rice is perfectly sticky and soft and that contrast of texture from the crispy buttery garlicky panko bread crumbs just seal the deal!!
2. PRESSURE COOKER SIMPLIFY THINGS
Traditionally, the sticky rice is soaked for at least 4 hours and then steamed. Without soaking, the sticky rice takes a looonggg time to steam. I can skip the soaking and cook it in Instant pot using pressure cooker in 30 minutes! This recipe is truly no fuss.
INGREDIENTS
Let’s talk a bit about the ingredients, shall we? All these special ingredients I listed down here can be easily found in your local Asian grocery stores.
Shiitake mushrooms, White glutinous rice, Panko breadcrumbs, chicken, fried shallots
White sticky rice (glutinous rice)
Don’t be mistaken with sushi rice, which is also sticky, but not as sticky as this Chinese sticky rice. This can be found in some major grocery store that carries ethnic food. Your local Asian grocery store will surely have this.
Oyster sauce
Oyster sauce adds lots of flavor to this dish and it’s available at Asian grocery store. I saw it in my local non-Asian grocery store, at the ethnic food aisle too. Oyster sauce can be substituted with soy sauce, though not exactly the same as oyster sauce is more concentrated and has oyster extracts in it.
Dried shiitake mushrooms
If you don’t want to use shiitake mushrooms, you can use regular fresh mushrooms of your choice. They tend to ooze out liquid when cooked, so I would suggest to cut down liquid by about 1/8 of a cup so the rice won’t come out too mushy.
HOW TO MAKE ASIAN STICKY RICE STUFFING IN 4 SIMPLE STEPS
STEP ONE: PREPARE THE STICKY RICE
Rinse the rice in several changes of water and then drain off water completely
STEP TWO: STIR-FRY
Stir-frying the garlic, shiitake mushrooms, and chicken first instead of just dump everything in the pot and cook, really amplify the flavor a lot. So I would highly recommend doing this. Then add the rice and seasonings and stir to mix.
STEP THREE: PRESSURE COOK IN INSTANT POT
Transfer the rice and everything into a heat-proof bowl
Add the liquid from soaking the mushrooms to the bowl
Make sure the liquid covers the rice.
Set the timer to 30 minutes
Wait for 5 minutes before releasing the pressure
STEP FOUR: MAKE PANKO BREADCRUMBS TOPPING
I used ghee, but you can use butter. Melt the ghee and then add breadcrumbs, garlic powder (optional) and salt and stir fry until golden brown. Have a taste and add more salt to your taste.
CUSTOMIZE YOUR STICKY RICE STUFFING
1. Add vegetables
You can add cut celery, corn kernels, dried cranberries to the recipe. Stir fry the celery and corn with the garlic and then add dried cranberries before pressure cooking
2. Meatless
You can skip the chicken or Chinese sausage. I would add more garlic and add Chinese five-spice powder for more flavor
Thanksgiving Instant Pot Asian Sticky Rice Stuffing
Ingredients
- 2 cups glutinous rice (not sushi rice)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 6 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs/breast or use Chinese sausage or your favorite sausage
- 5 shiitake mushrooms
- 2 cups liquid from soaking shiitake mushrooms
Seasonings:
- 3 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
Crispy panko Breadcrumbs toppings:
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- â…“ cup ghee or butter
- 1 tsp garlic powder optional
- Salt to taste
Optional topping:
- Fried shallots crisp
Instructions
- Wash the glutinous rice in several rinses of water. Drain off the water completely
- Mix all the seasonings together in a bowl and set aside. Cut the chicken into small bite-size, about 1/2 inch pieces
- Soak the mushrooms in 2 cups of hot water until soft and plump up, about 10 minutes. Remove the stems and thinly sliced. Reserve the soaking water to cook the rice later
- Preheat a large skillet. Add cooking oil. Stir-fry garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken and cook until they turn opaque (won't be fully cooked yet). Add sliced shiitake and stir fry for another minute
- Add the rice and seasonings and stir to mix. Transfer to a heat-proof bowl that will fit in your 6-quart instant pot. Pour in 2 cups of liquid. Use a spoon to stir and to make sure the rice is submerged under the liquid
Continue cooking with Instant Pot:
- Pour 1 cup of water into the inner pot of Instant pot. Place the trivet in there. Set your bowl on top of the trivet
- Close the lid. Turn the steam release valve to seal. Press pressure cooker and then high pressure. Set timer to 30 minutes
- When the timer is up, wait for 5 minutes and then release all the pressure. Carefully unlock the lid and remove the bowl
Prepare panko breadcrumbs topping:
- While the sticky rice is cooking, melt butter on a non-stick skillet. Add panko breadcrumbs, garlic powder (if using) and pinch of salt (to your taste) and stir fry over medium heat until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Have a taste and add more salt if needed. Set aside
Serving:
- Transfer the cooked sticky rice to a serving platter. Topped with some chopped green onion (if using) and then sprinkle with the panko breadcrumbs toppings and crispy fried shallos (if using).Absolutely delish!!!
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