Sticky “oil” Rice油飯YóuFàn(Oil rice)

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Whenever I think of sticky “oil” rice (there is no good translation) or youfan(油飯), I am reminded of joyful and festive occasions.  Youfan is a dish that is traditionally served as a celebration when there is a newborn in the family.  Nowadays, it’s served often whenever there is a family gathering.  Even though the basic ingredients between youfan and zhong-zi is very similar but youfan is a lot easier to make and can satisfy my craving for savory glutinous rice quickly.  Just like American families have our own recipes for pot roast or chili, different parts of Taiwan have different recipes and styles for their sticky rice.

Unlike fried rice where all the ingredients and the rice is stir fried together, youfan requires stir frying the ingredients first and then stirring in the rice afterwards.  This allows the flavors to mix into the rice without the rice turning into a sticky lump.  The basic sticky rice requires these ingredients:

• Glutinous Rice – Taiwanese prefer long grain glutinous rice which keeps it’s shape better and prevents overcooking.  It’s hard to find long grain glutinous rice in America so I opt for the Japanese short grain glutinous rice – just need to be more careful in cooking so it doesn’t become mush
• Sesame oil – black sesame oil would be ideal because it brings out strong flavors – but regular sesame oil works as well.  Do not use light sesame oil as the flavor is not strong enough and would require a lot of oil which would make the dish too greasy.
• Protein – pork is usually the way to go because it has a milder flavor than beef.  I’ve never had this dish with any other meat than pork but it might be worth experimenting in the future.  As for pork, it can come in various forms and cuts.  Pork belly works well so does the tenderloin.  Braised pork (see recipe) is also an excellent choice.  Ground pork can be a quick substitute as well.  Others like to use Chinese sausages which gives it another layer of flavor.  Me, however, I like mine with pork belly.
• umami ingredients – these ingredients help bring out the 『umami’ in the dish.  They include dried shiitake mushrooms, dried shrimp, dried scallops, dried squid, or bonito flakes.
• Sauce – regular soy sauce, condensed or thick soy sauce, oyster sauce can be used to add more flavor to the dish

The key about making good sticky rice is the rice vs the water portion.  Too much ...