Hawaii-Style Mochi Rice Stuffing
Try something different this Thanksgiving from traditional bread-based stuffing/dressing and leave the plain white rice at home.
Equipment
- 1 small container with cover (about 2-cup capacity)
- 1 rice cooker or 3-quart or larger pot
- 1 large stainless steel mesh strainer optional
- 1 large cutting board
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 small stainless steel mesh strainer
- 1 11" fryer pan or 5-quart wide pot
Ingredients
- 7 large dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 ½ cups mochi rice
- 2 ½ cups water
- 1 large onion chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 6 ounces lap cheong (Chinese sausage) chopped (about 4 ½ sausages)
- 2 cans water chestnuts (each can 8 ounces wet, 5 ounces dry) minced
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp coconut sugar or palm sugar
- ½ bunch cilantro chopped
- ½ bunch green onions chopped
Instructions
- Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in 1 cup hot water. Let this sit while you prepare the rice and prepare the remaining ingredients, for at least 15 minutes. (If you use cold water, soak for at least 40 minutes, preferably longer up to 2 hours.)
- Rinse the rice until the water starts to run clear (using a large stainless steel mesh strainer is optional). Drain and put in your rice cooker inner pot or a 3-quartpot. Add 2 ½ cups water and soak for at least 15 minutes. When the rice is done soaking, cook in the soaking liquid in rice cooker until done. (If using a pot, bring water to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook on low for about15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.)
- When you are done preparing the remaining ingredients and started cooking the rice, remove the mushrooms from the soaking liquid, squeeze them to remove excess liquid, and cut off the tough stem. Slice mushrooms into strips. Reserve ½ cup of the soaking liquid; use a strainer to catch any bits of grit or dirt that may have come off the mushrooms.
- Heat large saute pan on medium high heat. Add onions and lap cheong to pan and cook until the onions start to become translucent and some of the fat has rendered out of the sausage, about 5 minutes.
- Add mushrooms, water chestnuts, mushroom soaking liquid, soy sauce, salt, and sugar to the pan. Stir until well combined and cook until the mushrooms are warmed through.
- Add cooked mochi rice, cilantro, and green onions to the pan. If your pan is not big enough to hold all of the rice, mix the rice in a large baking dish or other large bowl (about 5 quarts).
- Serve in place of your favorite stuffing or dressing recipe. If using as a stuffing inside of a turkey or other poultry, make sure the poultry is cooked all the way through as the center of the bird might not cook through with the stuffing inside of it.
Video
Notes
Tips and Tricks
I can’t find Chinese sausage. What can I use in place of it?
You can try Portuguese sausage, but it will not have the same sweet flavor that Chinese sausage has. If using a different sausage, add a little bit more sugar to the sauce.
Can I make this all in a rice cooker?
If you make this in a rice cooker, cook the onions and sausage in the pan first. Then, when you’re ready to cook the rice, top the rice in the water with the onions, sausage, and mushrooms. It is critical that you do not mix the ingredients into the uncooked rice or you may not have evenly cooked rice.
When the rice is done cooking, mix in the water chestnuts, shoyu (soy sauce), salt, sugar, green onions, and cilantro. You may have to do this in a large bowl or baking pan as the rice cooker inner pot may not be big enough for you to have much room to mix everything together.
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can cook the ingredients that you add to the rice except for the cilantro and green onions ahead of time. I wouldn’t cook the rice until right before you plan to stuff your bird (if using as a stuffing) or when you plan to serve next to your bird (as a dressing). If you refrigerate and reheat the rice, the rice is not as soft and is a little hard to reheat.
If you do need to reheat the rice, cover the rice with a wet (more than damp) paper towel and warm in the microwave for 3 to 5 minutes (varies depending on the watts of the microwave).