Weekly Recipe: No Mai Fan Sticky Rice By Peter Som

Food is one of the most exciting ways to share and explore cultures from around the world, and today, award-winning fashion designer Peter Som shares with us an updated recipe from his childhood that sheds light on the Chinese-American experience, just in time for the Lunar New Year.

Som—who has dressed Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, Scarlett Johansson and Maggie Gyllenhaal in his colorful and flowing designs—has long held a special place in his heart for the culinary world.

In 2019, he launched The Extra Taste as a means to share recipes and kitchen essentials and “everything delicious.” Today, he shares with us his take on No Mai Fan, a savory Chinese sticky rice.

See also: Weekly Recipe: Chicken With Cantonese Curry Sauce By Susan Jung

"In our household growing up, steamed rice was served at every meal,” Som says. “For special occasions my Grandma would make No Mai Fan, which is sticky rice that’s studded with lap cheong (Chinese sausage), dried shrimp, mushrooms and other savory bits with a pale amber hue from oyster sauce and soy sauce. I loved it (and still love it) so much that as a kid I would immediately look at the amount in the steamer and try to gauge how much each person would get (this was the only time I was good at math). So yes, for me rice is life and No Mai Fan is heaven.”

This version streamlines the recipe, calling for everything to be cooked in a single Dutch oven in about 25 minutes.

“If you can’t find Sweet Rice (also called Glutinous Rice or Sticky Rice),” Som says, “use all Jasmine Rice and add a few extra tablespoons of water which will give the rice a slightly stickier consistency, and after cooking leave the pot covered on the stove for 10-15 minutes. It will be a decent approximation of the signature sticky chewy tender texture, but truly, if you can find sticky rice it will be worth it."

Dutch Oven No Mai Fan

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups glutinous rice
• 1½ cups jasmine rice
• 3 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp grapeseed oil or vegetable oil
• 4 lap cheong (Chinese sausage, such as Kam Yen Jan), chopped
• 1 lb shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, finely chopped
• ¼ cup dark soy sauce or 3 tbsp regular soy sauce plus ½ tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup thawed frozen peas
• ½ cup (packed) cilantro leaves with tender stems, plus more
• ½ cup sliced scallions, plus more

Directions:

1. Rinse glutinous rice and jasmine rice in several changes of cold water in a medium bowl until water runs clear. Drain well and set aside.
2. Combine shallots, garlic, and oil in a small Dutch oven or large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until shallots are tender and beginning to turn golden brown around edges, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add lap cheong and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Stir in dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and reserved rice.
3. Pour in broth and season with salt; stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until rice is tender, 20–25 minutes.
4. Remove pot from heat and stir in peas, ½ cup cilantro, and ½ cup scallions. Transfer rice to a platter and top with more cilantro and scallions.

Follow Peter Som’s The Extra Taste online for more delicious dishes and inspiration.