Food is one of the fundamental necessities for the survival of humans. The nutrition in the food we consume keeps our body functioning effectively. However, food is more than an essential requirement for our body and serves many other functions. The taste of the food we consume, for that matter, has the power to impact your mood and emotions.
Out of all the available food items we have on the planet, few staples never fail to leave our taste buds dancing. Rice is one such ingredient that is the base for countless delicious dishes in every cuisine known to humans. In this article, we will focus on sticky rice. Below we will share everything you need to know about this delicious and simple recipe, followed by our fool-proof recipe to make this glutinous rice recipe.
What Is Sticky Rice?
It is a popular Asian rice dish eaten in China, Korea, Japan, and other Asian countries. It is the ideal side for both savoury and sweet recipes, enhancing the favour of other delicacies. But before learning how to make sticky rice in a rice cooker, it’s essential to know about the best rice to make this dish.
It is a basic rice dish that consists of rice, water, and salt and has several preparation methods. However, when making perfect sticky rice, look for rice with high starch quantities, such as long-grain rice or glutinous rice. Try to avoid brown rice and opt for short-grain white rice if you can’t find the ideal rice for making this dish.
How to Make Sticky Rice?
As we mentioned above, there are several ways of making sticky rice. In this article, we share the two most famous styles and offer our recipes for making rice cooker sticky rice, followed by our recipe for sticky rice using a steamer. Let us start with learning how to make this dish using a rice cooker.
Sticky rice in a rice cooker:
- ) Start by soaking your rice for a minimum of thirty minutes to six hours. Add your desired quantity of rice to a large bowl and cover it with water three inches above the rice level. The longer your rice soaks, the more soft and sticky your final dish will be.
2.) After soaking for an appropriate period, remove the excess water and add the rice to a rice cooker. Add water equivalent to one-fourth quantity of the rice. You can also add a pinch or two of salt if you pair the dish with a savoury dish.
3.) The self-timer on your rice cooker will turn off when your sticky rice in rice cooker is ready. If your rice cooking lacks the timer option, cook it for 15-25 minutes, depending on the quantity of your rice. Mix after your rice when it’s halfway cooked to promote even cooking.
4.) If the rice is undercooked, add a little water to it and cook for an additional five minutes or until the rice is soft. After your food is ready, serve it immediately. If you want to eat it later, keep the dish covered and avoid air exposure to prevent the rice from hardening.
While cooking sticky rice in a rice cooker is an instantaneous process, it’s not the traditional way to prepare this rice recipe. Ideally, the dish is made in a steamer, preferably a bamboo steamer that gives the rice an earthy flavour. Here is our sticky rice steamer recipe that will allow you to enjoy this dish even if you don’t have a rice cooker
Sticky rice in a steamer:
- If you make this using the traditional steaming method, your rice needs to soak longer than the above process. Soak the rice for at least six to eight hours. You can also soak them for up to 24 hours to get the softest sticky rice.
- After you have soaked your rice, strain away any excess water. Add your bamboo or metal steamer to a deep and heavy-bottomed pan. You can also substitute the steamer by adding a metal can to the pan and placing a heat-safe dish on top of it.
- Line your bamboo or metal steamer or the heat-proof plate with parchment paper or steamer liners to prevent the rice from sticking. Add a couple of inches of water to the pan and allow it to boil and generate steam before adding your rice.
- Evenly spread your rice in the lined container and place it in the pot after steam starts to form. Cook for 30-40 minutes before checking the rice and mix the rice after the top layer is half done. When making large quantities of sticky rice, cook it in multiple batches.
- When the rice is completely soft and has a glue-like texture, your sticky rice is prepared to serve. If the rice is uncooked, steam it until the grain softens. Keep the rice covered until you are ready to dish it out to maintain its softness and stickiness.
Expert Tips to Help you Make the Best recipe:
Whether you want to make this using the traditional steaming method or the instant way using a rice cooker, the recipes shared above will not disappoint you. Follow these tips below to make the best sticky rice every time without fail.
- Soaking your rice for making it sticky is an absolute must. You can’t make it soft, with unsoaked rice.
- Don’t wash your rice before soaking it. You want to preserve all the starch in the rice to get gooey and sticky rice.
- When following any sticky rice recipe rice cooker, ensure that your pot is wet to prevent the rice from sticking to the surface.
- If your rice is too watery, cook it without a lid to evaporate the excess water and make this fluffy.
- Avoid overmixing your rice, as it can turn your rice into a gooey lump with all the grains sticking together.
Conclusion:
We hope that reading this article introduced you to a delicious rice recipe, sticky rice. We have shared everything you need to know about this mouth-watering Asian-inspired dish. The detailed recipe included above will help you prepare sticky rice in a rice cooker or a steamer, depending on your preferences and availability of options.
So the next time you are craving it with your sweet or savoury dishes, follow our above-shared recipe to make it in no time. By using our instructions, you will make delicious sticky rice in the bamboo steamer that will leave your friends and family impressed. We hope you make this dish and enjoy it with your loved ones.
