Nuo Mi Fan, Chinese Sticky Rice (Instant Pot/Rice Cooker)
This super simple and delicious nuo mi fan recipe has minimal prep work (no soaking!). It results in a flavorful Chinese sticky rice in either the Instant Pot or a rice cooker.
Nuo mi fan (糯米飯) is a popular dish served at dim sum. It is called and spelled many different ways, including “no mi fan,” “Chinese sticky rice,” “loh mai fan,” or “lo mai fan” to name a few. A nuo mi fan recipe typically includes ingredients such as Chinese sausage, dried shiitake mushrooms, and dried sausage.
Chinese sticky rice also has many different preparation methods. Some people soak the rice, steam it separately, and stir fry the cooked rice with the other ingredients. Others will stir-fry the rice directly with everything else, including the water, before placing it into a steamer to cook.
My recipe doesn’t require soaking the rice beforehand and only needs stir-frying the mix-ins for as little prep work as possible. Instant pot Chinese sticky rice can be made with just the pressure cooker, while rice cooker sticky rice will need one extra pan for stir-frying.
How to Make Nuo Mi Fan
Prep Work
Begin by reconstituting the shiitake mushroom in hot water. Squeeze out the excess water and dice the mushroom, reserving the soaking liquid.
Then, sauté the Add-ins. Using either the sauté function (the Instant Pot method) or a skillet over medium heat (rice cooker method), heat a tablespoon of oil. Add the sausage, mushroom, dried shrimp, and fried shallots. Sauté everything until golden brown and fragrant. Add in the soy sauce and sugar and cook for another minute. Remove the ingredients from the Instant Pot or pan and set aside.
Rinse the glutinous rice a few times until the water almost runs clear. Add the washed rice into the Instant Pot/rice cooker. Measure the reserved mushroom water and add enough chicken broth or water to make a total of 3 cups. Add that liquid in as well.
Add the dark soy sauce, white pepper, sugar, and sesame oil to the pot and mix to combine. Add the sauteed mix-ins on top.
Cooking Instant Pot Chinese sticky rice
Close the Instant Pot and set it to high pressure for 15 minutes. After it has finished cooking, let it naturally release for 10 minutes before opening. Adjust seasoning to taste, and optionally mix in green onions and cilantro before serving.
Cooking Chinese sticky rice in a rice cooker
Close the rice cooker and steam for 40 minutes or as long as your cooker’s rice setting. Adjust seasoning to taste, and optionally mix in green onions and cilantro before serving.
Notes
- I recommend using a chicken or vegetable broth to reach the 3 cups of liquid. The broth will add more flavor to the rice and also supply more seasoning.
- Although this nuo mi fan recipe uses Chinese sausage, you can substitute it for other ingredients such as pork or chicken.
Water Amount
With the written water to rice ratio below, the nuo mi fan turns out nice and soft. However, if you would like your sticky rice to have a slight chew, you could reduce the water by up to 1 cup, which would result in a 3 cups water: 2 cups liquid ratio. If you do decrease the water and want to use the Instant Pot, steam the sticky rice in a smaller container:
- First, add some water to the Instant Pot
- Place the rice and all of the other ingredients in a bowl that fits inside of the Instant Pot
- Place that bowl in the pressure cooker and cook as usual
This change prevents the sticky rice from burning or being overly dry on the bottom.
Nuo Mi Fan, Chinese Sticky Rice (Instant Pot/Rice Cooker)
Ingredients
- 3 cups sticky rice
- 3 cups shiitake soaking liquid + water/chicken stock
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce or regular soy sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
Add-Ins
- 4 Chinese sausages chopped
- 6 shiitake mushrooms
- 2 tbsp dried shrimp
- 2 tbsp fried shallots
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
Toppings
- Cilantro chopped
- Green Onion chopped
Instructions
- Reconstitute the shiitake mushroom in hot water. Squeeze out the excess water and dice the mushroom, reserving the mushroom soaking liquid.
Instant Pot
- Sauté the Add-ins: Turn on the sauté function and heat a tablespoon of oil. Add the sausage/pork, mushroom, dried shrimp, and fried shallots. Sauté until golden brown and fragrant. Add in the soy sauce and sugar and cook for another minute. Remove the ingredients from the Instant Pot and set aside.
- Rinse the glutinous rice a few times until the water almost runs clear.
- Add the drained and washed rice to the Instant Pot. Measure the reserved mushroom water and add enough chicken broth or water to make a total of 3 cups. Add that liquid to the Instant Pot as well.
- Add the dark soy sauce, white pepper, sugar, and sesame oil to the pot and mix to combine. Add the sauteed add-ins on top.
- Close the Instant Pot and set to high pressure for 15 minutes. Let it natural release for 10 minutes before opening.
- Adjust seasoning to taste. Optionally mix in green onions and cilantro before serving.
Rice Cooker
- Sauté the Add-ins: In a pan, heat a tablespoon of oil. Add the sausage/pork, mushroom, dried shrimp, and fried shallots. Sauté until golden brown and fragrant. Add in the soy sauce and sugar and cook for another minute. Set aside.
- Rinse the glutinous rice a few times until the water almost runs clear.
- Add the drained and washed rice to the rice cooker. Measure the reserved mushroom water and add enough chicken broth or water to make a total of 3 cups. Add that liquid to the rice cooker as well.
- Add the dark soy sauce, white pepper, sugar, and sesame oil and mix to combine. Add the sauteed add-ins on top.
- Close the rice cooker and steam for 40 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning to taste. Optionally mix in green onions and cilantro before serving.
