This chestnut and mushroom sticky rice ‘糯米饭’ is the ultimate comfort food for any weather. The recipe is easily customizable and packed with flavorful mushrooms and sweet roasted chestnuts.
Have you tried sticky rice before? It’s commonly known as glutinous or sweet rice back at home. It is one of my favorite grains because of the little touch of sweetness that this grain brings to any dish.
The rice’s sticky texture is so lip-smacking good and satisfying to eat. There are a few popular dishes that use sticky rice as the main ingredient such as BaChang or rice dumplings, lotus leaf-wrapped rice, or the popular mango sticky rice.
Sticky rice or 糯米饭 (Nuòmǐ fàn) in Mandarin and Lo Mai Fan in Cantonese is a filling and flavorful meal. The steps may look time-consuming, but once you have all the ingredients prepped, you’ll have a scrumptious meal in no time.
How to make Chestnut and Mushrooms Sticky rice
First, prepare the sticky rice ahead of time. I normally use Thai sweet rice for this recipe but other types of rice such as short-grain or sushi rice will work just as great. The method to prepare the rice will be different though. To prepare the Thai sweet rice:
- Rinse rice over cold water until the water turns slightly clear, about 3 times.
- Place rice in a bowl and add enough water to cover all the rice. Let it sit at least 4 hours or overnight. I usually do it the night before
- Drain the rice the next day and let it air dry until ready to use.
Note: Not all rice brands need this pre-soak step, so check the package’s instructions.
When you are ready to make the dish, prep the mushrooms, shallots, and roasted chestnuts. I found that store-bought Korean roasted chestnuts with the skin on work the best as they are not mushy.
Heat a non-stick pan with oil, and sauté mushroom slices until fragrant then push them to the side of the pan. Drizzle more oil and sauté shallots until they turn translucent. Add in the sauces and chestnuts then give it a quick toss. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and save every single drop of sauces.
Place drained rice in a glass bowl or any bowl that can be steamed safely. Add enough water and use a spatula to level the rice, then top with the sautéed mixture.
Bring a steamer with water to a rolling boil and steam the rice mixture for 20 minutes, covered. This step is to cook the rice while letting the sauce slowly seep through it. This way, you won’t end up with a mushy rice mixture.
Remove the lid and give the rice and sauce mixture a stir until well-combined. Cover the steamer with a lid and steam again for another 20 minutes until the rice is fully cooked through.
Add more dark soy sauce if needed. Swirl in some toasted sesame oil and garnish with chopped green onions before serving.
Cooking Tips and Variations
- Rice – if you can’t find glutinous rice or sticky rice, other great substitutes include sushi rice or short-grain rice. For a more colorful version, you can use a mixture of grains such as barley, red rice, black rice, or sweet brown rice. Some grains do not need an overnight soak
- Chestnuts – this is an optional ingredient and is added for a slight crunch and sweetness. I prefer to use roasted chestnuts that are still in its shell
- Mushrooms – dried Shiitake mushroom is the best or any low moisture mushrooms such as Bella, fresh shiitake, or lion’s mane.
- Sauces – this vegan stir-fry sauce adds a perfect umami boost along with dark soy sauce for the color.
- Steamer vs Rice cooker – I prefer to steam the rice as I can control the texture. If you are using a rice cooker, be sure you are using the settings for white rice.
This Chestnut and Mushrooms Sticky Rice is
- Delicious and Flavorful
- Easy to make
- Customizable with your favorite types of rice
- Lip smacking good
- TASTY!
If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your feedback and see your beautiful re-creation. Leave me a comment, rate it, and tag @woon.heng and #woonheng to your photos on Instagram or Facebook. Happy cooking, friends!
Chestnut and Mushrooms Sticky Rice
Equipment
- Steamer
Ingredients
- 2 cups [380g] glutinous rice
- 1⅓ cup [315g] water
- ½ cup roasted chestnut
- ¼ cup sliced Chinese/Shiitake mushrooms
- 6 small shallots ~100g, finely sliced
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- oil
- salt to taste
- water for steaming and soaking
Seasoning
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine or vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon vegan 'oyster' sauce
- 1 teaspoon thick dark soy sauce for color optional
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
Garnish
- a handful of chopped scallion
- handful of fried shallots
Instructions
- Rinse rice with water until the water turns clear, and soak overnight or up to 4 hours. Drain well before use.
- In a heated non-stick pan with 1 tablespoon oil, sauté mushrooms until lightly browned then continue to cook shallots until they turn translucent.
- Add in all the sauces and continue to cook by stirring continously until well combined then fold it with chestnuts.
- Drizzle with toasted sesame oil and transfer the mixture into a bowl. Set aside.
- Place drained glutinous rice in a heat-safe proof bowl and add 1 cup + ⅓ cup water.
- Then, top rice with the mushrooms mixture and chestnuts.
- Steam rice over high heat for 20 minutes.
- Using a chopstick/fork, fluff rice by mixing mushrooms mixture until well combined. Season to your preference.
- Then, steam for another 20 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked through. (Be sure you have enough water for steaming). Note: some brands have a softer rice texture, in that case, please adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- Turn off the heat and let it cool off, top with fried shallots and chopped scallions before serving. I paired it with some sautéd Gai Lan.
Video
Notes
- Some dark soy sauces have a lighter color and are more watery, in that case, please adjust accordingly to your preference.
- For a homemade version of vegan ‘oyster’ sauce, please use my Vegan Stir-Fry Sauce.
Feel free to pin the below picture on your Pinterest Board for easy reference.
loving your recipes! Are the shiitakes in this recipe fresh or the dried then rehydrated type? Looking forward to trying!
I actually used dried that I rehydrated. The dried ones always have so much more flavor.
Made changes (fried tofu instead of chestnuts) and it’s still easy and delicious to make.
Hi I plan on making this tomorrow. If I don’t have a steamer can I use the double boiling method to steam the rice?
Hi Mariah, yes, you can.
Do you think I could line the glass bowl I steam it in with lotus leaves? I love the flavor of it with sticky rice.
Hello Susan, oh yes, the lotus leaf will give it an amazing flavor. 🙂 I made mine in a bamboo steamer before and will definitely on a glass bowl. Good luck! Best, WoonHeng
I make this in the instant pot all the time, it’s a great recipe!
woohoo, Priyanka, so happy to hear this. Thanks so much, Instant pot is a life saver. 🙂 Have a beautiful day. Best, WoonHeng
Hi..Woon, I doubled up the recipe, added 3 cups of water, came out too salty and rice is so mushy!😅 May i get your kind advice? Thanks
Hi priyanka, I just bought an instant pot. Can you kindly share how you use this recipe on the instant pot please? Thank you.
I love trying your recipes..i m totally inspired by the way you cook…thanks for sharing the recipe..