Sticky Rice Dressing meets Microwave Magic for less stress Holidays
finally, I can make this family favorite with ease
Ever since I developed the minimal mess smoky eggplant recipe, I’ve been wanting to figure out a less fussy path to one of my favorite holiday dishes – sticky rice dressing. Three main issues stood in my way:
How to steam sticky rice without a prolonged soaking, using a steamer, or having to pry stuck grains from the steamer.
How to get shiitake flavor into the rice. Traditional steaming doesn’t imbue the grains with flavor beyond what’s inherently in them.
How to source pre-peeled chestnuts that taste special enough for the dressing and the occasion. (I don’t want to always have to peel fresh chestnuts.)
With the holidays coming up, I began tinkering with microwaving sticky rice. It’s been trial and error for about ten (10!) rounds, with each one getting better. This week, I felt confident enough to tackle refreshing and streamlining my family’s sticky rice dressing.
Knowing what I do now using vegetables for maximum flavor, I came up with a great recipe that resolves all three of the above issues. Plus, it tastes great with just a little pork and can be made vegetarian or vegan, to boot!
I’m so happy and a little bushed from cooking. We’re having the dressing for dinner tonight with stir-fried bok choy and pan-fried sand dabs! I wanted to get you the recipe so you can start playing with it. If you’re unfamiliar with sticky rice or sticky rice dressing, do a trial run with this recipe.
If you enjoy the dressing, maybe it will become part of your holiday repertoire? I know I’ll be making it again for both Thanksgiving and Christmas! Can’t wait to unveil it to my family.
Here’s a casual video of what to expect in the recipe:
Below you’ll find the following:
An explainer about sticky rice dressings
Ingredient notes on sourcing sticky rice, chestnuts, and shiitake
The detailed recipe plus vegetarian and vegan tweaks