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Sticky Rice Roll

Sticky rice roll with pickled mustard greens and preserved radish.
图片由日元魏和瑞安·陈

Brought over by immigrants from eastern China, rice rolls are a breakfast staple doled out with immense speed by street vendors at the height of the morning traffic rush. A mat of sticky rice is stuffed with a sprinkle of pickled mustard greens, preserved radish, and a bit of pork floss before it’s compacted into a large pill shape and slung into a plastic bag. Originally an on-the-go breakfast item geared toward blue-collar workers, this recipe is inspired by the rice rolls at Tzu-Yin Grandma’s Rice Roll (慈音古早味阿婆飯糰) in Taipei. Born in Taichung, the stall’s namesake Wang Tzu-Yin (王慈音) started selling rice rolls in the early 1990s at the age of 50 as a way to make money. She was a relative latecomer to the scene, but set herself apart by selling her rice rolls exclusively at night. Today, the stall is run by her daughter and granddaughter, who are still following her recipe exactly. Tzu-Yin’s version uses fish floss instead ofpork floss“because it’s less likely to clump up that way,” they tell me. But because fish floss is rather rare outside Taiwan, I’ve kept pork as the protein of choice.

This recipe was excerpted from'Made in Taiwan'by Clarissa Wei. Buy the full book onAmazon.

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What you’ll need

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 cups long-grain glutinous rice (sticky rice)
3 ounces preserved radish, also known as salted daikon (store-bought or homemade)
3 ounces pickled mustard greens (store-bought or homemade)
2fried crullers (yóu tiáo), about 6 inches (15 cm) long
1 tsp. canola or soybean oil, divided
1½ tsp. white sugar
1⁄2 cup pork floss (store-bought or homemade) or fish floss
  1. Prepare the sticky rice

    Step 1

    Wash the rice by rinsing it in several changes of water until the water is clear. In a large bowl, cover the sticky rice with water, and soak it for at least 4 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

    Step 2

    Drain the rice well in a fine-mesh sieve and spread it evenly inside a bamboo steamer basket lined with a wet cheesecloth. Poke evenly spaced holes into the rice mound with your finger; this will help the rice cook uniformly. Fold the flaps of the cheesecloth over the rice and cover.

    Step 3

    Partially fill a large wok with water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Cover and lower the bamboo steamer basket into the wok. Steam for 30 minutes, replenishing the bottom of the wok with boiling water if needed. The cooked rice will be al dente and shiny. Cover to keep warm.

  2. Prepare the sticky rice rolls

    Step 4

    Preheat the oven to 350°F.

    Step 5

    Rinse the preserved radish and pickled mustard greens under running water. Put the preserved radish and pickled mustard greens into separate small bowls, cover with water, and soak for 10 minutes. Drain, squeeze out the excess water, and pat dry with paper towels. Mince the radish and mustard greens finely, keeping them separated still, and set aside for later.

    Step 6

    Cut the crullers in half and toast them in the oven until they are a dark golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. They should be very crispy, but not burnt.

    Step 7

    In a wok over low heat, swirl in ½ tsp. of the oil. When the oil is hot, add the preserved radish, and cook, stirring constantly, until it’s dried out and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer the radish to a plate and set aside for later. Add the remaining ½ tsp. oil to the wok. Add the pickled mustard greens and the sugar, and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the greens are withered and dried out, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the greens mixture to a plate and set aside for later.

    Step 8

    Now assemble the rice roll. Take a clean hand towel and fold it in half so that it forms a rectangle, roughly 7 by 6 inches. Keep the towel in the landscape orientation and lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the towel so that it’s covered completely.

    Step 9

    用勺子蘸水,用它来接应¼的the cooked sticky rice. Spread it on the plastic wrap to form a thin 6 by 5-inch horizontally oriented rectangular mat on top of the towel. The long side of the rectangle should be facing you. Sprinkle a line of pork floss vertically down the middle of the rice rectangle, add the preserved radish and pickled mustard greens on top, and then finally add a chunk of the fried cruller lined up vertically on top of everything. Gently lift up the towel and with your hands, then gently squeeze and shape everything together so that the sticky rice is formed into an oblong-shaped rice roll. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Enjoy immediately.

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