Best Bamboo Rice Recipes

SWEET SOY GINGER GLAZED PORK BELLY WITH BAMBOO RICE AND CUCUMBER KIMCHI

Steps:

• For the pork belly: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or deep saute pan over high heat. Season the pork belly with salt and pepper on all sides and sear until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the celery, onion and carrot around the sides of the pork belly and let them begin to heat for another 2 or 3 minutes. Pour in the pork stock (or chicken stock if you don't have pork), cover, and cook in the oven until the pork is tender, about 2 hours. Let cool in the braising liquid until cold all the way through. When completely cooled, cut into 4 equal rectangular pieces and set aside for plating.
• For the bamboo rice: Saute the ginger and shallot with the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and saute for another 30 seconds. Add the salt, pepper and 1 1/4 cups water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender, 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
• For the cucumber kimchi: Mix together the garlic, sugar, ginger, red pepper, fish sauce, soy sauce and salt in a large bowl and let sit for 2 hours. Fold in the cucumber, carrot and cilantro.
• For the sweet soy ginger jus: Saute the ginger and jalapeno in a medium saucepan over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, red wine and balsamic vinegars, ketchup, soy sauce and orange zest. Stir to combine and cook until reduced by half. Mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl to make a slurry; whisk it into the reduction. Add the sweet soy and mix thoroughly. Strain through a chinois strainer.
• To finish the dish: Crisp the pork belly on all sides in a saute pan over medium high-heat, then glaze the belly with the sweet soy ginger jus, adding just enough to coat. Slice the belly in 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place 1/2 cup of the bamboo rice in the middle of each plate. Fan the sliced pork belly on top of the rice and top with a good pinch of the cucumber kimchi. Sprinkle ground, toasted macadamia nuts on top if desired and drizzle the sweet soy ginger jus around the plate. Sriracha can be dotted around the plate to finish if desired.

STICKY RICE WRAPPED IN BAMBOO LEAVES (JOONG OR ZHONGZI)

Steps:

• Start the day before you want to make the dumplings!
• Soak rice, mung beans and bamboo leaves in separate containers overnight. Place a bowl or plate over the bamboo leaves to keep them submerged.
• Combine 2 tsp salt, black pepper, 1 clove garlic, rice wine, water, rock sugar, cinnamon, white pepper, cloves, coriander, fennel, fenugreek and 2 tbsp canola oil in bowl. Stir in cubed pork, cover and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, drain rice and set aside.
• In a wok, heat remaining canola oil and stirfry remaining garlic, carrot, onion and ginger until slightly softened. Add chicken broth, 1 tsp salt, and fish sauce and stir well. Strain any excess marinade from pork and add to wok, (return Pork to fridge) and heat until bubbling. Add drained rice and stir frequently until liquid is absorbed. Let sit until cool enough to handle.
• Meanwhile, transfer bamboo leaves to large pot of boiling water and simmer 30 minutes to soften and sterilize. (Vinegar can be added here to soften them further.) Wipe each leaf with a sponge or scrubbing pad under cool running water to remove any remaining soil. You can trim off the stems with scissors.
• Drain mung beans and add white sugar and remaining 1/4 tsp salt.
• Prepare 25 or so 4' lengths of string. I tied groups of 5 together at one end, with a loop to hang from a hook on my cabinet. Then as I tie up my dumplings, they are hanging from the string and I can put them in and take them out of pots in groups of 5.
• Lay out your wrapping materials: softened bamboo leaves, rice mixture, mung beans and pork. You may want to keep the bowl of marinated pork in a larger bowl full of ice to keep it cold while you wrap.
• Take 2 bamboo leaves, overlapping along their long sides about half-way, and form a cone (see videos). Pat in about 2 tbsp rice mixture, then 1/2 tbsp mung beans, then 2 or 3 pieces of pork, another 1/2 - 1 tbsp mung beans, then cover with another 2 or 3 tbsp of rice mixture. You may need to add a third bamboo leaf to extend the cone.
• Use the ends of the leaves to firmly compress the cone of ingredients, and roughly shape the open end into a square or rectangle. Closing the bamboo leaf is tricky. I held the cone with the leaf ends pointing away from me. I folded the near edge towards the middle, folded the ends towards me over that, and carefully folded each side towards the middle, ensuring that the corners were covered. I always oriented my leaves the same way, so one side was leaf ends and the other was stem ends. I aimed to get the leaf ends under the stem ends. Then wind string around it until it seems secure. Keep wrapping dumplings until the filling is all gone. As I said, the first one took about 20 minutes, and several tries before it looked like it would hold together. The first 5 or so were quite ugly! But then I got the hang of it.
• Heat a large pot or wok of salted water to boil. Place a few extra or ripped bamboo leaves in first, then some dumplings, then some more leaves. The water should just about cover the dumplings. I did 10 at a time in my wok and large pot. Bring back to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a good bubbling simmer for 2 hours, adding water about half-way through. They should be puffed slightly and feel firm but squishy when you squeeze them. Drain and rinse off with cool water.
• Allow to cool or eat some hot right away. Remainder will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days, and they freeze well (up to 6 months in a good freezer, well-wrapped).

SUSHI RICE MADE IN BAMBOO STEAMER

Steps:

• Measure out the amount of rice desired into a mesh colander.
• Rinse the rice grains three times with cold water.
• Pour the rice into a bowl and cover it with cold water.
• Cover the bowl and allow the rice to soak for two to eight hours. (The longer the rice soaks, the shorter the steaming time.).
• Take the lid and upper baskets off of the bamboo steamer.
• Line the bottom basket with a clean damp cloth (a dish cloth fits perfectly).
• Drain the rice and pour the grains into the basket on top of the dish cloth. Place another damp dish cloth on top of the grains, folding the corners towards the center.
• Replace the lid on the basket.
• Fill a wok about halfway with water and bring the water to a boil.
• Place the bamboo steamer on the wok; the steamer should not be immersed in the water.
• Steam the rice for about 30 minutes; checking every 10 minutes during the cooking process to ensure that water has not evaporated and that the cloth has not dried out. ( I usually just pour a 1/4 cup of water over the cloth every 10 minutes);.
• Check the rice for doneness after 15 minutes. adding more time if needed, being careful not to overcook.
• Remove rice to a large bowl.
• Slowly heat vinegar, mirin and sugar until very hot but not boiling.
• Fold vinegar mixture into the hot rice, add enough so that the rice has a tart/sweet taste.
• Rice should be shiny, not mushy.
• Carefully clean inside rim of bowl with damp cloth, cover and let rest for 30 minutes before using.

GUAVA-GLAZED MAHI-MAHI WITH COCONUT BAMBOO RICE, TEMPURA BABY BOK CHOY AND COCONUT CURRY SAUCE

Steps:

• For the coconut curry sauce: In a medium saucepot, gently saute the garlic, green onion, shallot, ginger and lemongrass with the peanut oil over medium heat for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add the chile and curry paste and continue to cook for a few minutes more, stirring to incorporate. Next, put in the thyme, coriander and brown sugar and cook for 2 more minutes. Deglaze with the vermouth and continue to cook. When it has cooked completely dry, add the chicken stock and simmer until reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
• Pour in the coconut milk, increase the heat to high, bring to a boil and then remove the sauce from the heat. Let cool at room temperature. Puree the sauce in a blender and strain it through a fine sieve. Reheat the sauce when needed and finish it with fresh cilantro, lemon juice and salt.
• For the guava glaze: Warm the guava, soy sauce, ginger and jalapeno in a big pot over low heat for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally, to create a smooth glaze. Pour into a blender and run on high speed for 2 minutes. Press the glaze through a fine strainer and keep refrigerated until needed.
• For the coconut bamboo rice: Combine the rice, coconut milk and 1 cup water in a stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the liquid has evaporated and you can see the surface of the rice. Then cover the rice, reduce to low heat and cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork then keep warm until serving.
• For the mahi-mahi and tempura bok choy: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and heat 1 quart of the vegetable oil in a saucepan to about 350 degrees F.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium skillet over high heat until smoking. Pan sear the mahi-mahi on one side until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip the mahi- mahi, transfer the skillet to the oven and roast. While the fish is in the oven, mix the tempura batter with the recommended amount of ice water. Cut the bok choy pieces in half and dip in the tempura batter. Place the coated bok choy in the 350 degree F. oil until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes, then remove and dry on paper towels.
• After about 4 minutes, remove the fish from the oven and generously glaze the surface of the fish with the guava glaze. Place the fish back into the oven for 1 minute to let the glaze set, and then remove.
• Place the coconut bamboo rice in the center of a plate with the tempura bok choy cascading off the rice. The guava-glazed mahi-mahi goes directly on top of the rice. Pour the coconut curry sauce around the dish. Repeat with the remaining fish, vegetables, rice and sauce.

VEGETABLE FRIED RICE (WITH BAMBOO SHOOTS AND OTHER YUMMIES!)

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the vegetable oil and the seasonings. Set aside.
• In skillet, add the soy sauce all at once. Add the vegetable mixture, stir, and cover. Cook on medium heat for three minutes or until tender crisp. Set aside.
• Place eggs in a small dish and microwave until set (1 minute), stirring after 30 seconds (or scramble in a small skillet).
• Stir rice and eggs into the veggie mixture. Microwave 2 minutes, or until heated through, stirring after 1 minute (or heat through in the saucepan).

RICE CAKES WITH SALTED SHANGHAINESE GREENS, BAMBOO SHOOTS, AND GREEN SOYBEANS

Steps:

• Place a wok over high heat and add the oil. Toss in the green onions and stir them around to release their fragrance. Before they start to brown, add the bamboo shoot and soybeans. Toss these in the hot oil for about 1 minute to heat them through, then add the salted greens. Toss these together for about 30 seconds and then add the rice cakes.
• After you stir-fry the rice cakes for a minute or so, pour the rice wine and boiling water around the edge of the wok. Continue to toss the rice cakes until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve hot in bowls.

BAMBOO RICE

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil.
• Add rice and bring back to boiling.
• Stir, cover, reduce heat to low.
• Simmer 12-15 minutes.
• Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5-10 minutes.
• Fluff with fork and serve.

STICKY RICE COOKED IN BAMBOO: COM LAM

Steps:

• Soak the glutinous rice in water overnight and drain.
• Roll each banana leaf into a cigar-like shape and line the inside of each bamboo.
• Carefully add the rice into the bamboo and seal the opened end with banana leaf and string.
• Char grill the bamboo rice for 10 minutes on medium heat turning every few minutes.
• Peel and discard the bamboo and banana leaf.