Best Ba Bao Fan Recipes

EIGHT TREASURE RICE PUDDING (BA BAO FAN, 八宝饭)

Steps:

• Rinse glutinous rice under running water. Put it into a bowl and top with water. Leave to soak overnight. Then drain well and mix with sugar.
• Deseed and slice dried fruits if necessary. If using Jujube (Chinese dates), peanuts, lotus seeds or almonds, soak in water overnight to soften. Other dried fruits and nuts can be used directly without soaking.
• Evenly coat a bowl with coconut oil (or butter, neutral cooking oil) to prevent sticking.
• Spread a layer of mixed dried fruit and nuts over the bottom of the bowl. Design a pattern if you wish.
• Lay half of the rice over the dried fruit and nuts. Shape the red bean paste into a flat circle (smaller than the bowl). Place it on top of the rice. Put in the rest of the rice and flatten it with a spoon.
• Pour in water just enough to level with the rice (Be very gentle to avoid pushing the rice around).
• Place the pudding bowl into a steamer basket or onto a steamer rack. Fill the wok/pot with water. Leave to steam over medium heat for 50 mins. Don't forget to check the water level in the wok/pot halfway through in case it dries out.
• After steaming, leave to cool for 10 mins or so. Then use a knife or spatula to gently run along the edge of the pudding to help separating. Place a serving plate over the bowl. Flip over then gently remove the bowl.
• The rice pudding tastes great both warm and at room temperature. Drizzle some honey when serving if you like a sweeter taste.
• You can keep the rice pudding in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months (wrapped tightly with cling film after it cools completely).
• Steam for 10 minutes to reheat (defrost beforehand if frozen).

LO MAI FAN

Steps:

• Wash the rice in a medium bowl 3 times to remove any dirt or dust. Add the rice back to the bowl, cover with enough cold water to come 2 to 3 inches above the surface of the rice and soak for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
• Soak the mushrooms in 1 1/2 cups warm water in a medium bowl until softened, about 45 minutes.
• Soak the dried shrimp in a small bowl with enough warm water to cover until slightly softened, about 15 minutes. Drain the shrimp and set aside.
• Fill a large pot or wok that fits an 8- to 10-inch steamer basket with water (the water shouldn't touch the bottom of the steamer) and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Line an 8- to 10-inch steamer basket with 2 layers of damp cheesecloth or a damp lint-free towel. Drain the rice, spread it in an even layer in the prepared basket and poke a few holes halfway through the layer. Insert the basket in the steamer, cover and steam until the rice is translucent and tender, about 35 minutes. Uncover and remove from the heat to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, squeeze the water from the mushrooms and remove and discard the stems. Roughly chop the caps and transfer to a small bowl with the reserved shrimp. Measure out 2 tablespoons of the mushroom-soaking liquid into another small bowl and discard the remaining soaking liquid.
• Mix the light soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, chicken bouillon powder, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt with the reserved mushroom-soaking liquid until the sugar and salt are dissolved; set aside.
• Add the peanuts, oil and scallion whites to a wok or large nonstick pan and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the peanuts darken slightly and the scallions have slightly softened, about 1 minute. Add the sausage and cook until it releases some oils, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and shrimp and cook until heated, about 2 minutes.
• Swirl in the wine around the hot sides of the wok or pan and stir until most of the wine has evaporated. Add the rice and gently break up the clumps with the back of a wok turner or a spatula. Re-mix the seasoning sauce in the small bowl, then pour most of the sauce over the rice, leaving about 2 tablespoons behind. Cook, stirring and breaking up the rice clumps, until the seasonings are mixed into the rice. If there are parts of the rice that without seasoning, pour the reserved sauce directly over that rice. Mix in the scallion greens and cilantro.
• Divide the sticky rice among 4 small plates. Alternatively, transfer the sticky rice to small bowls and firmly press on the rice mixture to mold to the shape of the bowl. Invert onto larger plates and remove the glass bowls.