Fried Mochi Rice

FRIED MOCHI RICE (NUO MI FAN)

Rice with fried mochi (Nuo Mi Fan) is a filling and substantial Chinese dish.

If you had asked me before we met what “excellent” Chinese cuisine was, I would have said a plate of beef broccoli drowned in brown sauce.

I couldn’t say I was a fan because fortune cookies and soggy take-out don’t count as authentic Chinese fare.

He was the only son of a Chinese restaurateur, and I married him as a result. That was the beginning of my culinary education.

My family’s recipe for nuo mi fan will be shared with you today (proced noh-my-fahn in Cantonese). I think of this meal when I want to be loyal to my Chinese heritage and enjoy the comforts of home, family, and laughter.

My best guess is that the Chinese belief in yin and yang, hot and cold, yin and yang, and qi has something to do with it.

But I prefer to imagine she’s referring to the fact that eating nuo mi fan comforts the spirit when it’s chilly. It’s a meal you’ll find on the family buffet; it’s unassuming yet filling all at the same time.

It’s with us on family vacations, at Sunday meals, and when we’re welcoming visitors from out of town. A hearty bowl of nuo mi fan on the dinner table is all you need to bring you back to the things that matter in life.

“A household with an aged person has a living treasure of wealth,” says a Chinese proverb. My husband’s father-in-law, a treasured member of our family, passed down this recipe to me.

I hope you like it as much as my family does. Only 605 calories per serving are contained in this dish.

INGREDIENTS:

• Sweet rice, 32 ounces (900 grams) bag
• 4 diced slices of lup Chong
• 1/3 of a cup diced char siu
• 1 ounce (28 grams) of dried scallops, steeped for two hours in warm water
• 7 shiitake mushrooms, soaking for 2 hours in warm water, and sliced
• Soy sauce of the highest quality: 3/4 cup
• A quarter of a cup of water
• Sesame oil in the amount of 2 teaspoons
• White pepper in half a teaspoon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or msg of mushroom seasoning
• Green onions sliced into half a cup
• 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
• Frying using vegetable oil.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Repeatedly rinse and drain the rice in cold water until the water is clear (3-4 times). Soak the rice in lots of water for three to four hours, or better yet, overnight.
2. Use a streamer to boil 1 to 2 inches of water. To keep the grains from falling out of the steamer’s holes, line it with damp cheesecloth– then boil water in a separate pot.
3. Pour the boiling water over the rice in a colander and let it soak for a few minutes. In a matter of seconds, place the rice in the steamer (on top of the cheesecloth). Before putting the rice in the steamer, make sure all of it is the same temperature so that the rice steams uniformly from top to bottom.
4. Steam for 20 minutes on high. Remove the prepared dish from the steamer and place it on a cooling rack. To prevent the rice from drying, keep it covered with a kitchen towel.
5. Add the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, and white pepper to a bowl and mix well to coat the ingredients. Pour in roughly 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil into a wok or pan and bring to a boil. Be attentive not to overcook the dish, as they will become tough and dry. Carefully break up any clumps of rice with a spatula while you cook the rice for 2-3 minutes.
6. Afterward, add the scallops and shitake mushrooms to the mixture and stir well. Continue mixing and breaking up the rice until it is equally covered with the soy sauce mixture, then add the soy sauce mixture. Mix in the mushroom seasoning (also known as msg or salt). Rice will not burn in the bottom of the pan is scraped often.
7. If the rice looks too dry or stiff, transfer it to the middle of the pan and reduce the heat setting. As soon as you add the rice, cover the pan and steam it until the water is gone.
8. Green onions and cilantro are now added. Remove from heat and toss to combine. Serve right away.
9. Use a steamer rather than a microwave to reheat rice for the best results. To reheat rice in the microwave, sprinkle it with water and cover it with a damp paper towel.