Microwave Sticky Rice, an any time recipe (really!)
an easy method to memorize and manipulate
Hello everyone,
On Friday, there was a brief glitch in the dumpling class registration page. If you tried to register and were told the class had “sold out” — it was my fault! Thankfully, Kathy alerted me to the error and I fixed it pronto.
For details and to register, head to Eventbrite. Don’t forget your 15% discount: apply promo code earlybird15 (it’s good until January 24, 2025). Or if applicable, use the paid subscriber discount super deal.
Nowadays many people hype up mochi donuts, mochi pancakes, and mochi butter cakes but cooking those treats with mochiko (sweet/sticky rice flour) is child’s play. Cooking grains of sticky rice well is the mark of a skilled cook. It’s traditionally soaked for hours or overnight and then gently steamed to evenly cook the grains to a soft, chewy, sticky texture.
My mom taught me to do it the old school way in a Chinese steamer. It’s a pain in the ass — requiring advance planning so it takes a long time. For years I let her make most of the sticky rice dishes I ate.
Last year, I decided to figure out a way to easily make sticky rice in the microwave. I tried a special gadget sold for steaming rice in the nuker. It was a bust. I really just wanted to use tools you and I likely already have. Finally, I have good news to report to you — a master recipe for you to easily memorize and manipulate.
Why the big deal about sticky rice?
In most East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines, sticky (glutinous, “sweet”) rice is important for everyday treats or holiday must-haves. Some folks, like the Lao, eat sticky rice as their go-to daily grain.
Viet people eat long-grain rice for most meals and enjoy xôi (sticky rice treats) for Lunar New Year, weddings, family reunions, and snacks. A Viet cook who prepares sticky rice well — the grains are individual and soft — is considered khéo (clever, skilled).
I didn’t aim to reach khéo status. I just wanted a relatively quick weeknight method to cook sticky rice. I thought it would be easy-ish.
But since I started out on my quest, I’ve blown through at least five pounds of sticky rice. It’s a two, maybe three, ingredient recipe — rice, salt, and water.
En route to today’s recipe, my 2024 experiments yielded this:
Sticky rice, shiitake and chestnut dressing (Nhân Gà Nhồi Hạt Dẻ Nấm Hương — my family’s holiday treat is now doable year round.)
Roast chicken with sticky rice (Xôi Gà Rô Ti — a childhood fave done easy.)
Grilled bananas in sticky rice and coconut sauce (Chuối Nướng Nếp Nước Cốt Dừa — a Viet street food favorite.)
Sticky Rice 101: What to know to cook it well (a primer, if you’re new to it)
During my experimentations, sometimes the rice cooked up too firm or too mushy. Many times, it was perfect. How could I get a recipe with parameters to lead you to consistent success?
It was frustrating to waste rice but I wanted to resolve an issue that plagues many modern cooks who want a simple batch of sticky rice to savor as a side dish or to use in other recipes. To test my evolving technique, in late 2024, I shared the method with picky cooks — my mother, my sister Linh, chef Pim Techamuanvivit, and my friend Chan Luu.
They were curious, if not slightly skeptical. My recipe worked every time with their equipment. They marveled at the microwave magic. No more planning a day ahead! You can make sticky rice like you would regular rice on a weeknight.
So, leading off 2025, I gathered and polished all my knowledge, thus far, into a master sticky rice recipe for you to use.
Why microwave sticky rice rocks
Five advantages stand out:
Microwaving sticky rice takes about 30 minutes (including soaking). Old school sticky rice requires hours of soaking, cooking in an Asian steamer, and cleaning up the bits of rice stuck to the steamer afterwards.
As long as the microwave cooked rice stays covered, it remains soft. Traditionally steamed sticky rice notoriously hardens up into plasticky grains!
This is perfect for cooking 1 to 2 cups of raw sticky rice (yields 2 to 4 cups).
In the microwave, you can imbue sticky rice with stock or other liquids. You can’t do that with the typical steamer method.
You can experiment with sticky rice dishes with less time commitment. Play in your kitchen more often!
I’ve learned a lot from developing this recipe, including trying it in other people’s microwave ovens. Below you’ll find:
My recipe development tips and notes to empower your experimentation.
The master microwave sticky rice recipe in text and downloadable PDF.
Let’s go!