A vegan version of Taiwanese Sticky Rice (台式油飯). An authentic, plant-based but no less flavorful take on the traditional round-table style dish.
Taiwanese sticky rice is quite literally the ultimate comfort food. I mean, its name “油飯” translates to “oily rice” — am I the only one who’s drooling from just hearing its name?! At the same time, sticky rice cooked like this makes for a painful reminder of those family gatherings that I could no longer have, being thousands of kilometers away from home.
An Application for Plant-Based Jerky
This recipe was sponsored by Gardein, a meat-free food company that aims to make a meat-less lifestyle easy. They have recently released a hardwood smoked plant-based jerky, and when I tasted it, I knew it would be a great addition to my vegan Taiwanese Sticky Rice recipe. The jerky itself is very chewy, meaty, and smoky — very similar to real beef jerky.
Traditionally you add pork, dried shrimp, and/or sausage to Taiwanese Sticky Rice to give it that meaty texture and extra umami & slightly smoky flavor. These are aspects of the original dish I believe I nearly achieved with my original plant-based version, but I still felt like a tiny bit was missing. Although I would say they are an optional addition for this recipe, they are definitely worth a try (especially if you like jerky!).
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Vegan Taiwanese Sticky Rice (台式素油飯)
Course: LunchCuisine: TaiwaneseDifficulty: Easy2
servings30
minutes25
minutesA vegan version of Taiwanese Sticky Rice (台式油飯). An authentic, plant-based but no less flavorful take on the traditional round-table style dish.
Ingredients
1 cup sticky/glutinous rice
7 dried shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
30 grams carrots, finely minced
85 grams fried bean curd, sliced like lardon
1 (56 g) pack gardein plant-based jerky, finely minced (optional)
1/4 cup cashews
1 inch (15 g) ginger, finely minced
4 medium -sized shallots, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon shallot oil (from frying)
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1.5 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine
1 teaspoon doubanjiang, or spicy bean paste
2 tablespoons vegan oyster sauce, I used Lee Kum Kee’s
1.5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground five spice
3/4 cup water (for soaking mushrooms)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Directions
- Make the Sticky Rice. Soak Rice with water (place in fridge) for at least 6 hours, preferably over-night. Drain the rice and let sit for at least 30 minutes before steaming. Spread rice into a parchment-lined bamboo steamer and steam for around 25 minutes, or until grains are translucent and tender. Remove bamboo steamer from direct heat and keep warm aside.
- Rehydrate Shiitake Mushrooms. Soak mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take out mushrooms and reserve its soaking liquid.
- Make Crispy Shallots. Make the Crispy Shallots. Heat up 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok/small pot on medium heat. While oil is heating, peel and slice shallots into very thin strips. Once oil is shimmering, place sliced shallots in and fry until golden brown, around 7 minutes. Note: especially keep an eye on the shallots after around 5 minutes. Once they begin to brown, they can turn too dark very fast. Strain & drain the shallots, and set aside both the shallots and the shallot-infused oil.
- Make the Sticky Rice. Your sticky rice should be done/nearly done steaming before you begin this step. In a wok/small pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the shallot-infused oil on medium-heat, and fry minced ginger until aromatic, around 1 minute. Add shiitake mushrooms and cook until most moisture evaporates, then follow with carrots, fried bean curd, fried shallots, minced jerky, and cashews. Cook everything together while constantly stirring for 2-3 minutes. Deglaze with soy sauces, cooking wine, doubanjiang, vegan oyster sauce, sugar, and five spice. Mix everything together, then immediately follow with your steamed sticky rice (break it up and add by chunks). Note: be careful not to squish the rice while stirring! Then, finish by adding mushroom water with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, and cook until most of the liquid evaporates.
- Finish the Sticky Rice. Add all of the sticky rice back into the parchment-lined bamboo steamer. Steam for an additional 10 minutes to heat everything through & evaporate additional moisture. To finish, garnish with coriander or chopped scallions. Serve warm (I like to add additional doubanjiang on the side).
Notes
- Plant-based Jerky. Note that the plant-based jerky is rather tough, and may be difficult to cut. Be careful when cutting/mincing, especially if your knife is a little dull.
Congrats on the sponsor!
Thanks for including meat substitutes!
thank you Liz!! no problem =))
Hey George, thank you so much for your recipes, I’m so happy I found you on ig. I’ve latey been craving traditional Taiwanese foods, especially since I couldn’t fly back to Taipei to visit family due to the pandemic. I’ve also been wanting to cook more Taiwanese for my mom who misses her home country a lot. So thanks to you I can just follow your recipes, for once not having to worry about how to replace pork fat, dried shrimps, etc. Looking forward to trying out your 油飯 recipe! Hope I’ll find some vegan sausages at an Asian grocery store… Read more »
Loved this so much! I made it for my family tonight. I only had Arborio rice so I used that but it didn’t get as sticky as I hoped. I also didn’t soak the rice for the full time. I will just have to make again and get the soaking and variety of rice right. But this was very very delicious, thank you!
Damn! That’s all I can say. I love your recipes. You WILL definitely make non Vegan people to ACTUALLY become Vegans. Keep up that creative and enthusiasm you have on you, as well as that spark!