Fried Sweet Rice with Chinese Sausage

This fried sweet rice with sausages and shiitake mushrooms is so easy to make and totally tasty. 

This fried rice recipe is different than most because it calls for sweet rice (or sticky rice), which is a short grain rice higher in starch, or amylopectin (fancy name for a plant starch). 

The rice, also called glutinous rice, has a wonderful flavor and richness, along with a nice chew. It's the same rice that is used for sweet Japanese desserts, including mochi. It's also wonderful served with tropical fruits. 

The flour from the rice is also used for rice crackers and dumplings. If you can't find the rice, you can substitute sushi rice, which is also sticky. 

Ingredients in this Fried Rice Recipe:

The ingredient list for this fried isn't that complicated, with the Chinese-style sausage likely being the most difficult to find item. 

These sausages look like skinny salamis and are sold in Asian markets and butcher shops. Unlike salami, these sausages must be cooked thoroughly before eating. In Asian markets, they are usually in packages in the refrigerator section. They are sometimes called Chinese-style sausage, lap cheong, or lap chong. Read the label and look for pork in the ingredients. 

It's sweet in flavor and it adds a wonderful richness to this rice. I've found it at 99 Ranch, HMart, and Shun Fat Supermarkets locally. If you can't find any, you could substitute a dry salami for a somewhat similar flavor and texture. 

The recipe also calls for dried shiitake mushrooms. I recommend buying these at an Asian grocery store, where the inventory turns over much more quickly. Their dried mushrooms soften much more quickly. 

You can also substitute fresh shiitake mushrooms, although the flavor and texture won't be quite as meaty and earthy. Plus, dried mushrooms retain all of their nutritional value and won't go to waste. 

For the rice, you can either cook your own a day in advance, or use pre-cooked rice sold in grocery stores or take out restaurants. If you make your own rice, cook it in chicken broth. If you use pre-cooked rice, add a few teaspoons of chicken base (I used Better than Bouillon) when you add the rice to your wok or skillet. 

Besides the rice, chicken broth, Chinese sausage, and shiitake mushrooms, the recipe also calls for minced ginger, scallions, soy sauce, and white pepper. This is all stir-fried in just two tablespoons of oil in just a few minutes. 

I made this rice in my trusty 14-inch carbon steel flat bottomed wok. It's a wonderful inexpensive multi-purpose pan, and is especially handy for stir-fries. It's also my favorite pan for making popcorn!

If you don't have a wok, you can use a 12 inch or larger skillet. 

Make-Ahead and Leftovers:

While this rice is delicious freshly made, in a pinch, it can actually be made ahead and reheated in the microwave. The leftovers are also totally worth taking to work for lunch and reheating too. 

Serving Suggestions:

This rice is fabulous as a single side dish or as part of a multi-course meal. We enjoyed this rice with roast chicken and a green salad. 

For a multi-coarse dinner, your menu could include sichuan beef, stir-fried beef and carrots, kung pao shrimp, asparagus, peas, and leeks, egg rolls, plus hot and sour or egg drop soup. 

In addition, if you love fried rice, be sure to check out these for your next multi-course buffet: 

Shrimp Fried Rice

Kimchi Fried Rice

Zucchini Fried Rice

Hawaiian Fried Rice from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

Shrimp Asparagus Fried Rice from Confessions of an Overworked Mom

Italian Basil Fried Rice from Magical Ingredients

Fried Sweet Rice with Chinese Sausage

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

Prep time: 35 MinCook time: 5 MinTotal time: 40 Min

This fried sweet rice with sausages and shiitake mushrooms is so easy to make and totally tasty.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup dried shiitake mushroom slices
• 1 cup cold water
• 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 Chinese-style sausage (48 grams/1 2/3 ounces), cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 3 cups cooked sweet rice, chilled and fluffed
• 3 teaspoons chicken base, such as Better Than Bouillon
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Instructions

1. In a 2 cup glass measuring cup, combine the dried mushroom slices and cold water and let the mushrooms soak for 30 minutes. Drain the mushrooms and squeeze them between a couple of layers of paper towels. Slice off the hard stems and discard. Roughly chop the remaining mushrooms.
2. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over medium high heat. When the wok is hot, swirl in the oil. Add the ginger, sausage, and the mushrooms and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Add the rice and the chicken base and stir-fry for two minutes, making sure the chicken base is evenly distributed and the rice is heated through.
3. Add the scallions, soy sauce, and white pepper, and stir fry for one more minute.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

307

Fat (grams)

13 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

3 g

Carbs (grams)

39 g

Fiber (grams)

2 g

Net carbs

38 g

Sugar (grams)

1 g

Protein (grams)

8 g

Cholesterol (grams)

16 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2014/11/fried-sweet-rice-with-sausages-and.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

rice, Chinese

side dish

Chinese

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This recipe is adapted from Stir Frying to the Sky's Edge by Grace Young, the essential source for all things stir-fry, especially recipes traced to the Chinese diaspora. I've made nearly every recipe in the book. 

The book is also such an excellent reference regarding Asian ingredients. It has lots of pictures of the ingredients you will need. 

I have been guilty of carrying the book into my Asian market to compare the photos in the book with the items on the shelves... or to ask the staff where to find ingredients. 

To get the original recipe, visit Grace Young's post on NPR.