Soak the glutinous rice for at least 4 hours. Overnight if you plan ahead.
Soak all the dried fruits in warm water for 30 minutes until softened. Then slice the mango into 8 thin strips
Cooking the rice on the stove:
Add glutinous rice and water to a shallow steaming dish. Steam over high heat for 30-45 minutes or until the rice is soft and sticky. Remember to check the water level in the steamer and refill as needed
Stir in brown sugar and butter. If the rice is a bit dry, add a bit more water and stir again until it's creamy, but not wet. Set aside and continue to the assembling step below
Cooking the rice with Instant pot pressure cooker:
Add 2 cups of water in Instant Pot inner pot. Put the trivet in there. Rinse the sticky rice in water briefly. Drain off the water. Place the rice in a heat-proof glass or stainless steel bowl. Add 2 cups water to cover the rice. Give it a quick stir and make sure all rice is submerged in water. Place this on top of the trivet. Close the lid, steam release handle to sealed. Press pressure cook and set to high pressure and use -/+ to set the time to 15 minutes
When the sticky rice is done cooking, wait for about 10 minutes and make sure that the float valve is down. Then turn the steam handle to venting. Once the steam is all out and stops hissing, open the lid carefully. The sticky rice should be soft and sticky. Stir in brown sugar and butter. Set aside and continue to the assembling step below
Drain the soaked dried fruits and set aside
Assembling:
Bring water in the steamer to a boil over high heat. Rub the mold you are going to use for the rice pudding with butter. I'm using 7-inch round pie pan. You can use the steamer function in Instant pot too by pouring 2 cups water into the inner pot
For non-decorative pattern: If you are not going to make any decorative pattern then simply mix the soaked dried fruit with the rice pudding. Spread half of the rice pudding on the mold. Press down to evenly spread then top with one layer of red bean paste and then the other half of the rice. Use a rubber spatula to smooth
For decorative pattern: If you are going to make a decorative pattern, arrange the dried fruit on the mold and. Spread half of the rice pudding on top of this very gently, trying not to disturb the pattern you just created below. Gently press down with a spatula to evenly spread then top with one layer of red bean paste and then the other half of the rice. Use a rubber spatula to smooth
Lower the heat to medium and steam the rice pudding for 30 minutes. If using instant pot, press steamer and set timer to 30 minutes
Prepare the syrup while rice is steaming:
Place water, sugar and dried fruits (optional) in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar started to thicken to a syrup consistency
To serve:
Use a knife to gently loosen the side of the pudding and then cover with a serving plate on top and quickly turn over and the rice pudding will plop onto the plate. Serve with the syrup and condensed milk if you choose to use