Easy Taiwanese Sticky Rice: No Steamer Needed

Let me introduce you to Taiwanese Sticky Rice, or as I like to call it, “the edible time machine.” One bite and you’re transported straight to the streets of Taiwan, where this dish is the unsung hero of breakfast, lunch, snack time, and honestly, any time you need a pick-me-up. You Fan is made with glutinous rice, savory veggies, protein, spices, and the holy grail of flavor—sesame oil. It’s warm, comforting, and sticky (in a good way). So grab a bowl, and let’s get sticky!

Easy & Lazy Microwave Style

This savory sticky rice recipe is simple and easy to make. No steamer? No problem! A microwave works just as well if you don’t have a steamer or don’t feel like setting one up. The aroma of this dish is a direct line to my childhood.

Growing up, my mom would drive me to school every day. Often, she didn’t have time to cook breakfast in the morning, so we’d stop by a local shop to pick up Taiwanese Sticky Rice. It’s a popular dish, eaten at breakfast, lunch, as a snack, or during special events. Steamed glutinous rice mixed with a variety of vegetables, proteins, spices, and sesame oil—every bite was comforting.

Now that I’m older and far from my hometown, I often find myself missing that unmistakable smell of sesame oil, mushrooms, and ginger. It instantly brings back memories of chilly winter mornings in my mom’s car, feeling warm and cozy on the way to school.

There are many different kinds of ingredients you can use in Taiwanese Sticky Rice.  Pork , Sausage, chicken, mushroom…etc.  I was craving for this one night at 7 o’clock, and I didn’t feel like going back out to the store, so I used what I could find in the fridge.  This is a very simple and easy sticky rice recipe but It turned out so good, just the way I remembered it.

Taiwanese Sticky Rice  ~ 5 – 6 Serving

Ingredients:

• 4 Cups of Glutinous rice (Sweet Rice)
• 5 Taiwanese Sausage, Thinly Sliced
• 5 Dried Shiitake Mushrooms, soaked in warm water until soft, then slice thin.
• 300g Frozen Spring Bamboo Shoots, diced into small pieces
• 2 slices of fresh ginger
• 1 Tbsp Sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp Vegetable oil

Sauce:  Mix

• 1/4 cup cooking wine
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1/2 tsp 5 spice powder

How To:

1. Wash rice 3-4 times or until the water becomes clear.
2. Soak the rice in water (the water should cover at least 2 inches above the rice) at room temperature for 1 hour.
3. In a non stick skillet, add vegetable oil, slices of ginger, and cook it at medium heat until the ginger turns brown.  Remove the cooked ginger.
4. Add sausage and mushrooms into the pan.  Cook until the mushrooms become lightly brown.  Add bamboo shoots, sesame oil, and continue to cook/stir for another 2 – 3 minutes.
5. Add sauce mix into the pan, bring it to boil, then set it aside.
6. Reserve a cup of rice water then drain the rice.  
7. Place the rice in a microwavable bowl with a lid.  Put a cup of rice water back into the bowl.
8. Microwave rice with the lid on at high heat for 5 minutes.  Stir the rice and put it back for another 5 minutes into the microwave.  The rice should look transparent with no white in the middle when it’s done.
9. Pour the sauce mix into the cooked rice and gently stir until evenly distributed.  
10. Microwave for another 2 minutes to let the cooked rice soak up all the sauce.
11. Enjoy!