How to steam the rice for Taiwanese rice balls

Every place has its own specialty. Some places have noodles, some places have rice balls. For example, Taiwan has a special food called rice balls, and these rice balls are made with special rice. This kind of rice requires a special method to make it delicious. But a large number of people don’t know how to steam this kind of rice. Let me teach you the specific method.

Taiwanese traditional rice balls

Ingredients: Rice (long glutinous rice is recommended for better taste) One fried dough stick (fried a little longer for better fragrance and crispness). Cut into sections and set aside. Appropriate amount of pork floss (fish floss) Appropriate amount of choy sum (need to be fried in advance) Peanut powder White granulated sugar Egg (optional)

Method: 1. Wash 2 cups of rice (ordinary rice measuring cup) first. This can make about 3 rice balls. The glutinous rice must be soaked in water for about 1 hour after washing, and then cooked in the same way as white rice. 2. Take out a transparent plastic bag and dip it in a little water (to put the rice on it → the rice must be hot) 3. Put the rice on the plastic bag and flatten it 4. Put the fried dough sticks, choy sum, meat floss, and egg on it in order (salty taste)

For a sweet flavor, just replace the meat floss and choy sum with peanut powder and sugar (the amount of ingredients depends on your personal taste preference) 5. Fold the plastic bag in half and shape the rice ball into a round shape.

The first step is to soak the glutinous rice. Wash it twice with clean water to remove the starch, so that the steamed rice will appear crystal clear. Be sure to use cold water to soak the rice, not warm or boiling water, even in winter. Generally, the rice should be soaked for 5-8 hours, depending on the temperature. It should not turn sour, and should break into pieces when squeezed. Note: the water cannot be changed during the soaking period, as this will affect the rice aroma. If the rice turns a little sour, rinse it a few more times and it will be much better.

The second step is to preheat the barrel. Add water into the pot. The water added cannot exceed the water level line of the bucket. The water level line is the height below the bottom of the bucket. Speaking of pots, I see that most people use relatively shallow iron pots. What I use is a deeper aluminum pot, as shown in the picture, which can cover most of the barrel, which makes it easy to lock in the steam. Aluminum is thin, conducts heat quickly, and saves fuel. Of course, if the rice bucket is big, you may not be able to buy a suitable aluminum pot and can only use an iron pot. In this case, you can just wrap a towel around the bottom.

Step 3: Put rice into the bucket. Filter the soaked rice to dry the water, filter the rice into another container, and pour it directly into the preheated container. Pour gently, smooth the rice evenly after pouring, and continue cooking without covering the lid.

Step 4: steam the rice. When you see steam coming out of the rice, poke holes in it to allow the steam to escape faster and the rice won’t be too soft.

Stick the chopsticks into the bottom of the bucket and shake it a few times to make the eyes bigger. Poke all the holes evenly, making sure the chopsticks reach the bottom of the bucket, then put the lid on and continue steaming. The lid will become uneven after a long time and will easily leak, so it is better to put a warm cloth on it.