Rice in Taiwan is the centerpiece of
almost any meal. Normally it appears as basic steamed grains served in a large covered
bowl with a bamboo paddle, and this acts as a mild counterpoint to all of the salty, spicy, rich, and flavorful dishes that
surround it.
But if you happen to be at a feast of
some sort, there is a good chance that a big bowl of Savory Sticky Rice (youfan) will
appear, and that to me is one of the best parts of the celebration. Bits of
pork, black mushrooms, and crispy shallots mingle with the seasoned rice in
sort of a deconstructed Chinese tamale. (You can, in fact, wrap either one of
these recipes in bamboo leaves and then steam them for the perfect zongzi; tuck
in yolks from Brined Eggs for a special treat.)
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| Steamed long-grain sticky rice |
Molded sticky rice (migao) is almost the same
thing, but because it comes in individual portions, it is invariably street
food.
Both of these dishes are really little more than riffs on fried rice, with long-grain
sticky rice used instead of the usual jasmine rice. The reason for this is that
long-grain sticky rice is chewy and keeps its shape well, unlike round glutinous rice, which can mush up when liquid is added to the mixture as here.
My favorite place to indulge my love for
migao was at a little hole-in-the-wall in the Taipei suburb of Shipai that was
operated by a Taiwanese lady down the street from the apartment where we lived
for a while. I would often stumble into her place comatose from the long bus ride
home from an even longer day at work, famished and cranky, and she would give
me a welcoming smile as she plunked down a bowl of her delicious rice and
sliced braised goose.
She seemed to make the best migao anywhere,
and it is one that I have attempted to re-create here. Her migao was steamed in
bamboo cups that had been used for so many years that they were deeply tanned
with layer after layer of soy sauce and oil.
I bought cups just like hers from
a Mr. Lin on Zhongshan North Road who did nothing but carve these simple cups
and weave bamboo strips into traditional steamers, but the cups cracked in the dry
air of California, and so I've devised a great substitute: regular old glass
jelly jars, the kind that are used for canning. They’re cheap, they can be
steamed and cleaned a zillion times over, and you can use them for other things
in-between your sticky rice celebrations. (Any other kind of heatproof bowl or cup can be used, though.)
Tasting like the most delightful
stuffing you've ever enjoyed outside of your grandma’s Thanksgiving table, this
is the essence of Taiwan as far as I’m concerned: rice, pork, black mushrooms,
soy sauce, and fried shallots.
Savory
sticky rice
Yóufàn 油飯
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| Tender mushroom |
Southern Fujian, Taiwan
Serves 8 to 10
4
dried black mushrooms
2
tablespoons dried shrimp
Filtered
water as needed
2
cups long-grain glutinous rice
3
ounces chilled pork belly, skin removed
1½
tablespoons dark soy sauce
2
tablespoons rice wine (mijiu)
Fresh
ground black pepper
1
teaspoon sugar
Garnish:
Chopped
cilantro
* * *
Molded
sticky rice
Mĭgāo 米糕
Serves 8 to 10
The above recipe for Savory
Sticky Rice, except use only 2 tablespoons oil and no braised peanuts
Eight (8-ounce) jelly jars
Spray oil
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| Cut out any dark veins |
¼
cup crushed fried peanuts
Chopped
cilantro
Soy
paste (jiangyougao)
1. For both recipes, use the following
directions: The night before you plan to make this dish, place the mushrooms
and shrimp in separate bowls, rinse them with tap water, and then cover each
ingredient with cool filtered water (at least ½ cup water for the mushrooms).
Let them plump up overnight. (You may also prepare them the same day as the
rice by covering them with boiling water; the flavor and texture will not be as
good, but still tasty.) Cut off the mushroom stems and save them for stock, and
reserve the soaking liquid; cut the caps into thin slices. Pick out and discard
any shrimp that are discolored, drain off and discard the soaking liquid, and
cut off any sandy veins that you see; keep the shrimp whole.
2. The next day, rinse the rice in a
strainer, then place it in a medium work bowl. Cover the rice with cool tap
water and soak for around 2 hours, or until it passes the fingernail test.
Drain the rice and steam (traditional method) for about 40 minutes, or until
cooked but still chewy. Remove the rice from the steamer.
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| Molded in custard cups |
3. Take the chilled pork belly out of the fridge and slice it against the grain into thin pieces, and then cut these into thin vertical strips so that you have alternating layers of fat and meat. Place the meat in a small work bowl and toss them with the soy sauce, rice sine, and black pepper; let the meat marinate in a cool place while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
4. If you are making molded sticky rice,
reserve 16 mushroom slices and 8 shrimp as garnish; chop the rest of the shrimp
and add it to the rest of the mushroom slices. If you are making the savory
sticky rice, chop all of the shrimp and add them to the mushrooms. Drain off
and reserve the meat marinade.
5. Heat a wok over medium-high heat and
then add the mingyou or sesame oil. Toss in the chopped shrimp and mushroom slices and stir-fry
them for a couple of minutes to release their fragrance. Add the drained meat
and fried shallots to the wok and continue to stir-fry these until the pork is
almost done, then add half of the mushroom soaking liquid, reserved pork marinade,
and steamed rice. Toss these together, allowing the liquid to loosen the
clumps; add the rest of the mushroom liquid when the rice becomes dry. If
making the savory sticky rice, add the braised peanuts and toss. Sprinkle on
the sugar, toss some more, and taste before adjusting the seasoning. (The
molded rice will be served with soy paste, so be sure not to oversalt it.)
6. If you are preparing savory sticky
rice, you’re done; just pile it into a serving bowl and sprinkle on some
cilantro. Serve it hot.
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| Dried mushrooms plumped up |
7. For molded sticky rice, spray 8 jelly
jars or custard cups with oil. Place 2 mushroom slices and 1 shrimp in the bottom of each jar.
Then, divide the rice among the jars and pat it down gently so that there are
no air pockets. Steam the molded sticky rice for about 10 minutes to heat it
through, turn the jars over into individual rice bowls, sprinkle with the
chopped peanuts and cilantro, and drizzle on soy paste to taste (about 1
tablespoon per serving), and then deliver it to your waiting guests while it is
still very hot.
8. Both recipes freeze well and can be
steamed until piping hot before serving.
In keeping with the previous week’s topic of long-grain sticky rice, this time we are journeying
further down the coast of China to its smallest province, the island of Hainan,
where something amazingly delicious is done with this very same grain. 
