Instant Pot Chinese Sticky Rice

For the past few years, many fans have requested our secrets to make tasty Chinese Sticky Rice in Instant Pot.

It’s awesome seeing many creative fans using our Instant Pot Sticky Rice Recipe to make tasty dishes like Sticky Rice Roll or Thai Mango Sticky Rice.

So, we’ve been working hard testing & developing an easy yet reliable way to help you successfully make Chinese Sticky Rice in Instant Pot.

Oh Yes!! It’s finally here!! We’re super excited to share our Traditional Chinese Sticky Rice Recipe with you!

This Chinese Sticky Rice Recipe:

• Saves time & hassle – don’t need to pre-soak the glutinous rice
• Won’t trigger your Instant Pot’s “burn” error
• No dry or undercooked hard clump
• Bursting with flavors & satisfying to eat

Chinese Sticky Rice

Traditional Chinese sticky rice (lo mai fan) is classic Cantonese comfort food.

Chinese sticky rice is steamed glutinous rice cooked with Chinese sausage (臘腸), shiitake mushrooms (冬菇), and dried shrimp (蝦米).

Other variations also include dried scallop (乾瑤柱) or other Chinese sausages and cured meat (膶腸，臘肉).

It’s a flavor-bursting rice dish packed with many textures. Sticky-chewy rice, sweet-savory caramelized Chinese sausage, umami shrimp, aromatic mushrooms, refreshing green onions, with fragrant scrambled eggs.

What is Chinese Sticky Rice called?

Chinese Sticky Rice is called Lo Mai Fan or Loh Mai Fan in Cantonese and nuòmǐ fàn in Mandarin.

In Traditional Chinese, it’s written as 糯米飯; and in Simplified Chinese, it’s written as 糯米饭.

Sometimes, it’s also called Cantonese Sticky Rice or sticky rice with Chinese sausage.

Lo Mai Gai vs. Zongzi vs. Lotus Leaf Rice

Some people like to make Chinese Sticky Rice wrapped in leaves or banana leaves. But Chinese Sticky Rice is not the same as Lo Mai Gai (糯米鷄), Zongzi (粽子), or Lotus Leaf Rice (荷葉飯).

Stir-Fried Chinese Sticky Rice 生炒糯米飯

Steamed Chinese Sticky Rice is similar but different from another beloved dish – Stir-fried Chinese Sticky Rice.

The stir-fried version’s sticky rice is more plump, separate, al dente, and chewy. It also yields more wok hei (鑊氣), thus it comes out more aromatic & oily.

But the traditional way of cooking stir-fried lo mai fan in a wok is a labor of love. It’ll take a lot more effort, time, and patience.

How to Make Chinese Sticky Rice: Pot in Pot Method

We tested different methods and “water to ingredients” ratios in Instant Pot.

And we found the Pot in Pot method yields the best result while avoid triggering Instant Pot’s “Burn” error.

The Pot in Pot method means we’re adding the glutinous rice and ingredients in a separate stainless steel bowl. Then, we’ll place this bowl on a steamer rack above the water inside the Instant Pot’s inner pot.

• Read More: Instant Pot Pot in Pot Cooking Method

Step-by-Step Guide: Instant Pot Chinese Sticky Rice

What You Need to Make Chinese Sticky Rice

Here are the ingredients for cooking Chinese Sticky Rice in Instant Pot:

Which rice is best for sticky rice?

Glutinous Rice (糯米) is best for making Chinese Sticky Rice.

It’s a special type of long grain rice that becomes extremely sticky when cooked. Contrary to the name, it’s actually gluten free!

Glutinous Rice 糯米 (lo mai)

Glutinous rice is a popular staple in many Asian countries.

Glutinous Rice Looks: solid pearl white color, long grain

Sometimes it can be confusing when buying glutinous rice. Because manufacturers may label them as Sweet Rice, Sticky Rice, or Thai Sticky Rice. And sometimes they’d label a variety of short grain to long grain sweet rice under the same name.

Amy + Jacky’s Tips! Glutinous rice is not the same as white rice such as Jasmine rice, Calrose rice, basmati rice, or Nishiki rice. It’s also not the type of “sticky rice” some people use to make sushi rice. For sushi rice, check out how to make sushi rice in Instant Pot.

Chinese Pork Sausage 臘腸 (lap cheong)

Chinese Pork Sausage (lap cheong) is one of my favorite Chinese cured meat since I was a kid. High quality ones are very addictive to eat!

Different varieties of lap cheong can be made from lean to extra fatty meat, pure pork meat, or a mixture of pork and chicken.

Tastes & Textures: sweet-salty-umami, slightly smoky; dried, hard, has a satisfying chew and juicy when cooked; fragrant

Amy + Jacky’s Tip! You can also use your Chinese sausages to make tasty Turnip Cake (Lo Bak Go), add them to your Fried Rice, or Chinese Chicken and Rice.

Optional: Chinese Pork Liver Sausage 潤腸 

Chinese Pork Liver Sausage is another classic Cantonese cured meat. It differs from lap cheong as it’s made of liver instead of meat.

The more liver they use in the sausage mixture, the darker red/brown color the sausage becomes.

Substitution: You can substitute the Chinese Pork Liver Sausage with one more Chinese pork sausage (臘腸).

Dried Shrimp 蝦米

Dried shrimp are sundried shrimp that has shrunk in size. They’re used in many Asian dishes to impart tasty umami flavors.

Tastes & Textures: packed with umami flavor of the sea with a hint of sweetness; aromatic; hard when dried, but full of fragrance & has a bite when saute & cooked

Shiitake Mushrooms 冬菇

Try to find higher quality shiitake mushrooms if you can! They impart a unique fragrant, flavorful, and meaty velvety texture to your dishes.

Tastes & Textures: deep earthy flavor; strong distinct aroma; thick, velvety, meaty texture; satisfying mouthfeel

Regular Soy Sauce & Dark Soy Sauce

For this Chinese sticky rice recipe, we’re using both Regular Soy Sauce (生抽) and Dark Soy Sauce (老抽).

Amy + Jacky’s Tip! Regular Soy Sauce & Dark Soy Sauce aren’t interchangeable because they have different flavors, aromas, thicknesses, textures, and colors.

Dark Soy Sauce (老抽) is darker, thicker, less salty than regular soy sauce. It adds color, sweetness & a different flavor profile to the lo mai fan.

Tools for Making Chinese Sticky Rice

• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
• 3qt Stainless Steel Inner Pot or Stainless Steel Bowl – we’re using this as the Pot in Pot container
• Pyrex Measuring Cups
• Stainless Steel Steaming Rack
• Mixing Bowl
• Wooden Spoon

Rehydrate Shiitake Mushrooms and Dried Shrimp

In a 500ml measuring cup or mixing bowl, rehydrate Shiitake mushrooms with 1 cup (250ml) warm water.

In a separate small mixing bowl, rehydrate dried shrimp with ½ cup (125ml) warm water.

Soak them for 10 to 15 minutes until softened.

*Note: Save these two soaking liquids – we’ll use them as stocks in Step 2.

Prepare Ingredients

Amy + Jacky’s Tip! To save time, prepare the other ingredients while the dried shrimp and shiitake mushrooms are rehydrating. 

Shiitake Mushrooms: Once the shiitake mushrooms are rehydrated & softened, squeeze all the liquid out of the mushrooms, remove the stems, then dice them.

Drain the rehydrated shrimp, then combine the “shrimp soaking liquid” with the “mushroom soaking liquid”.

Add ¾ cup (188ml) unsalted chicken stock, 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 1½ tsp (7.5ml) dark soy sauce, and 1 tsp (5ml) roasted sesame oil to the combined “shrimp mushroom liquid”.

Saute Sausages & Shrimp in Instant Pot

First, add the diced sausages in Instant Pot.

Heat up Instant Pot using Sauté More function.

Stir the diced sausages occasionally while the Instant Pot is gradually heating up.

*Note: The diced sausages will begin to release oil.

Saute for a few minutes. Add in the rehydrated dried shrimp, then saute for 1 minute.

Add in minced garlic and diced shiitake mushrooms, then saute for another minute.

Deglaze Instant Pot

Now, pour the “shrimp mushroom liquid” in Instant Pot, then completely deglaze the bottom of the pot by scrubbing the flavorful brown bits with a wooden spoon.

In a stainless steel bowl, combine 2 cups (400g) glutinous rice with all the ingredients that are currently in the Instant Pot. Give it a quick mix.

Amy + Jacky’s Tip! If you’re rinsing the glutinous rice, make sure it’s drained very well after rinsing. So it won’t throw off the water to ingredient ratio.

If you’re making the optional scrambled eggs, wait until the pot is hot, then add some oil and scramble the eggs in Instant Pot.

Pressure Cook Chinese Sticky Rice

First, press “Cancel” button to turn off Instant Pot.

Add 1 cup (250ml) cold water and a trivet in Instant Pot inner pot.

Then, add the stainless steel pot with glutinous rice in Instant Pot.

Close lid and turn the Venting Knob to Sealing position.

Pressure Cooking Method: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 35 minutes, then Natural Release for 15 minutes.

Amy + Jacky’s Tip! The best cooking time depends on your stainless steel bowl. The bowl’s size, thickness, and the material will affect the pressure cooking process. So, be sure to check if the Chinese Sticky Rice in the middle is fully cooked. If not, fluff the rice and pressure cook at High Pressure for another 5 minutes.

After 15 minutes, release the remaining pressure by turning the Venting Knob to Venting position.

Finally, remove the lid carefully.

Fluff Sticky Rice & Garnish

Fluff rice and make sure the Chinese sticky rice in the middle is fully cooked. 

Transfer Chinese sticky rice to a large mixing bowl.

Add in the sliced green onion and scrambled eggs, then give it a quick thorough mix.

Finally, taste and season with salt if necessary. For reference, we didn’t add any salt.

Serve Instant Pot Chinese Sticky Rice

Yay!! You did it! You made tasty lo mai fan in Instant Pot!

If you like, you can sprinkle some salted deep fried peanuts (脆花生) when serving the Instant Pot Chinese Sticky Rice.

What to Serve with Chinese Sticky Rice

It’s very filling & satisfying to eat this Chinese Sticky Rice as a meal. But you can also serve this as a side dish complementing a variety of main dishes. 

Since this popular lo mai fan is often served in Dim Sum restaurants, you can serve a dim sum feast at home! Plan ahead and serve this lap mei lo mai fan with Shumai, Turnip Cake, Steamed Buns, and other tasty dim sums!

For lamb lovers, eating lo mai fan with classic Hong Kong Style Lamb Stew (枝竹羊腩煲) is a must every winter.

Lastly, you can serve this sticky rice with simple tasty veggies sides like Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce, Butter Garlic Cabbage, and Stir-Fried Garlic Green Beans.

Or pair it with nourishing Cantonese style soups like Pork Shank Carrots Soup (青紅蘿蔔豬腱湯), or Chinese Pork Bone Soup (紅蘿蔔粟米豬骨湯).

Enjoy your flavor-bursting comfort Chinese Sticky Rice!

Other Chinese One Pot Rice Recipes

• Instant Pot Chinese Chicken and Rice
• Instant Pot Chicken Congee
• Instant Pot Spare Ribs and Rice
• Instant Pot Soy Sauce Chicken and Rice