This flavor-packed Chinese sticky rice stuffing is an alternative to traditional Thanksgiving stuffing. And this Asian-inspired stuffing will go well with your regular Thanksgiving dish and is so much better than the regular stuffing recipe!
Confession: I’m not a fan of traditional Thanksgiving bread stuffing and it took me some time to finally in love with one.
This one. Chinese sticky rice stuffing that pairs well with Peking-style turkey. It is pure Thanksgiving heaven. And you will love this recipe, too because this recipe is:
- Easy to make, as usual!
- Flavorful
- Comes with 3 kinds of meat – Chinese sausage, char siu, and roasted pork
- Any leftovers can turn into next day’s lunch
- This recipe does not require an oven so you can skip 1 kitchen appliance
- Not your usual Thanksgiving stuffing
So, I’m calling all pork lovers. Let’s unite!
The ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this sticky rice stuffing recipe:
- Sticky rice which I shared briefly in How to Cook Rice Properly post
- Shallot to add extra fragrant
- Mushrooms, such as shiitake mushrooms
- Meat: Chinese sausage, char siu, and roasted pork. However, you can adjust this part to your favorite protein
- Sauce. This recipe requires soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and Chinese cooking wine
- Scallions for garnish
- Oil
Gluten-free stuffing option
Rice is gluten-free; hence, if you’re planning to make this a gluten-free version, you might want to substitute some items here. For example, tamari sauce or gluten-free soy sauce to substitute soy sauce, molasses as an alternative to dark soy sauce, and so on.
Vegetarian stuffing option
Vegetarian version. Simply substitute all the meat with veggies, such as firm tofu.
Advance prep and kitchen notes
Now, let’s get into the details because your hands might be full as you’re preparing the rest.
- Soak the sticky rice overnight for 6-12 hours. The rice will expand when soaking and soak it longer if you want your sticky rice to have a softer texture. I soaked mine for almost 24 hours and it went too soft.
- When it comes to cooking sticky rice, you will need less water to cook it. Thankfully, more and more high-end rice cookers have special settings for it.
- Glutinous rice dries out and hardens quickly at room temperature hence, be sure to keep it warm. You can also store cooked sticky rice in the fridge for 1 or 2 days before cooking this stuffing recipe.
- Put shiitake mushrooms in a bowl with hot water to soak for 30 minutes-1 hour.
How to make Chinese sticky rice stuffing
- Soak the sticky rice overnight or at least 6 hours; then cook it in a rice cooker with a sweet rice setting. Another way is to steam it
- Add oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add the shallots and mushrooms and cook, stirring, until the shallots are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes
- Add the sausage, char siu, and roasted pork to the skillet. Cook until the sausages curl slightly
- Add the cooking wine and stir for 1 minute to let the meat and mushrooms absorb the wine
- Add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and rice. Toss until the sticky rice are evenly coated. Be sure to break up the clumps and get an even distribution of the sauce on everything; then garnish with scallions
- For extra crunch, separate the skin from roasted pork. Keep it crispy in an air fryer, crack it, then sprinkle on top of the sticky rice
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Chinese sauces
Let’s get saucy! Chinese sauces can be a bit tricky and this sticky rice stuffing recipe uses 3 sauces and cooking wine that you might not be familiar with, so let me help you a bit.
Soy sauce. You’re probably already familiar with soy sauce. It is a liquid condiment made from a fermented paste of soybeans. Kikkoman is a great brand of soy sauce, as well as Lee Kum Kee. Note that soy sauce comes with a few options from low-sodium to regular soy sauce to cater to your diet.
Dark soy sauce. It is a thicker, darker, and less salty version of soy sauce with a more complex flavor. Unlike soy sauce, dark soy sauce is usually used to add colors or as a marinade. My favorite brand is Pearl River.
Oyster sauce. Oyster sauce is loaded with flavor. It adds tons of umami and rich savoriness to your dish and my favorite brand is Lee Kum Kee.
Shaoxing cooking wine. It is a type of Chinese cooking wine that is designed for cooking only. It is one of the most important seasonings and cooking liquids for Chinese cooking, just like mirin in Japanese cooking. So, if you want to upgrade your Chinese cooking at home, add a splash of this cooking wine.
What is Chinese sausage (lap cheong)
Unlike hot dogs, Chinese sausage is commonly made with fresh pork meat and fat, and added condiments, and dried in the sun. Hence, the texture is hard and available in any Asian store in cold ( but not freezer) sections.
Chinese Sticky Rice Stuffing. It’s gonna be all the rage this Thanksgiving.
Chinese Sticky Rice Stuffing
Ingredients
- 2 cups sweet sticky rice
- 1 cup sliced Chinese sausages about 4 links
- ½ cup diced char siu
- ½ cup diced roasted pork
- 8 dried shiitake mushrooms soaked in hot water for an hour, squeezed and diced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 shallots thinly sliced
- ½ cup chopped scallions
- 2 tablespoons oil or unsalted butter
Instructions
Sticky rice
- Soak the sticky rice overnight or at least 6 hours; then cook it in a rice cooker with a sweet rice setting. Another way is to steam it
Stuffing
- Add oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add the shallots and mushrooms and cook, stirring, until the shallots are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes
- Add the sausage, char siu, and roasted pork to the skillet. Cook until the sausages curl slightly
- Add the cooking wine and stir for 1 minute to let the meat and mushrooms absorb the wine
- Add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and rice. Toss until the sticky rice are evenly coated. Be sure to break up the clumps and get an even distribution of the sauce on everything; then garnish with scallions
- For extra crunch, separate the skin from roasted pork. Keep it crispy in an air fryer, crack it, then sprinkle on top of the sticky rice
Anne says
What a great way to change up stuffing! I am not a big fan of bread stuffing either.
Sherry Ronning says
Thank you for the sticky rice stuffing recipe. My family enjoyed your recipe!
Mandy Applegate says
This is just so tasty – I love sticky rice!
Jennifer says
The flavors in this recipe are amazing! I love the crispy skin on top, too! YUM!
Gwynn says
I’m loving the flavors in this recipe and look forward to making it very soon!
Lynn Polito says
wow this recipe is FULL of flavor!! Delicious!
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing chinese sticky rice stuffing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly
Tina says
Hi – this is such a good idea as a Thanksgiving stuffing recipe! Thank you for sharing, and I can’t wait to make this.