Comments on: Chinese Sticky Rice (Nuomi Fan)

By: julia

julia — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:48:17 +0000

this is fantastic! i just came from a friend’s new year’s celebration–their second annual–and, even from last year, all i could think about was the sticky fried rice! and now i have a great sounding recipe complete with variations! thanks, everybody, for making something so delicious, so accessible. i can’t wait to try this on my own.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:57:53 +0000

Thanks AKao!

By: A Kao

A Kao — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:33:01 +0000

I’m going to agree with Joseph and disagree with Rsbeemer (all way back from 2008). My family is Taiwanese-American and we’ve never had “nuomi fan”/sticky rice for Thanksgiving. It has always been a dish we make whenever we have a hankering for it. And we have a hankering for it often!

It’ so easy to make and ingredients are so common place in any Asian market it’s not funny.

I actually never knew what the name of this dish was, translated into English. I always called it… a childish name – “Market Rice” – because it’s a favorite of the Taiwanese markets (cai shi chang – pinyin sucks).

Here is my family’s variation on the recipe:

Instead of chinese sausages, we use lean pork (a little bit healthier than the sausage but still just as tasty)
We add dried oysters (these are cooked, dried oysters)
We add dried shrimp (the small kind)
We use ginger, shallots, garlic – minced as aromatics in the beginning
All of these are sauteed in the beginning

Instead of oyster sauce, we add sesame oil – it gives it a great aroma. Soy sauce adds color and we add a bit more salt for flavor.

That’s it – everything else is cooked down as the recipe above. I add chopped cilantro at the end for flavor and garnish.

I will also add this – it’s normal for the bottom rice to “burn” and crunch up. This is actually one of the best parts. In Taiwanese we call it “go-ba” (Min Nan).

Eating it with oyster sauce or hot sauce is great. I like to make a small little salad with more cilantro and chopped tomatoes, onions, cucumbers – or even a fresh guacamole with cilantro. Very tasty contrast – but that’s my spin.

BTW, to Bobbie Flayscio – the rice in leaves is another dish. It’s made with sticky rice, you typically stuff with a savory filling and wrap it in bamboo leaves, lotus leaves, or banana leaves, depending on your tradition/geography. I think banana leaves for more southeastern/hawaii culture. I think Cantonese or Guangdong in southern China wrap in lotus. My family has always wrapped in bamboo.

To PJ, you gotta cook this dish as prescribed, not with a rice cooker. However, that crunchy bottom part – when you cook this dish correctly – is normal and very tasty.

By: Bobbie Flayscio

Bobbie Flayscio — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:40:14 +0000

Don’t the Chinese like to wrap the rice in banana leaves? I have seen them in square shapes and at times in triangles. Very deliscious and I recommend them to all types of peeps. Gong Hay Fat Margaret Cho & A Happy Hom Suey Gok to my SF friends ;o)

By: pj

pj — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:34:55 +0000

thanks for the great recipe! it was really yummy except my glutinous rice was crunchy. i cooked it in my rice cooker :-p i guess next time i’ll try soaking it overnight first.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 22:06:20 +0000

Rsbeemer is from SF as I am too. Your comment is interesting. Guess, the Chinese-American homes that I’ve been to (during Thanksgiving) here in the bay area for the past 30+ years dont serve naw mai fan during Thanksgiving. Careful for us (Asian Americans) not to make assumptions either.

BTW, good recipe!

By: Vera

Vera — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 21:27:14 +0000

This is comfort food for me. I normally cook it halfway on the stovetop and then put it in a casserole dish and then finish it off in the microwave. Saves space/burner and so much easier than worrying about it burning on the stovetop.

By: Tim

Tim — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:21:35 +0000

My aunt in NYC uses day old Nuomi Fan after Thanksgiving , presses it into a patty like a hamburger then coats it with an egg and fries it in pan to heat it up. I always thought Nuomi and Thanksgiving was an oddity of her household. Guess not.

By: katie

katie — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:37:21 +0000

yummy…yummy…yummy…yummy…yummy…

I am making this as we speak. but no char siu… chinese bacon and dried scallops. I love this stuff. Could tirelessly eat it on a porch all day long.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:14:24 +0000

Im confused…