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–+ servings

Ingredients

Yields: 25 balls
  • 500 g glutinous rice - soaked in water for 4-6 hours, then drained
  • 5 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
  • 5 shallots - sliced thinly and fried until crispy, for serving
  • 5 dried shiitake mushrooms - rehydrated in water for ~an hour, then sliced thinly
  • 1 salted cuttlefish - cut into thin strips*
  • 20 g dried shrimp
  • 50 ml oil
  • 50 ml chicken stock - or any other stock or water
  • 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • salt
  • pepper

Method

  • Heat up the oil in a pan or a wok. Fry the garlic in the oil until it gets a light shade of gold (about 2 minutes), then add the cuttlefish and shrimp and fry until aromatic (a minute or so). Finally, add the mushrooms and fry until soft (another minute or so).
  • Add the chicken stock, dark soy sauce and fish sauce to the mixture, and simmer for 2 minutes. If the mixture is looking a bit dry, add some more stock or water. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
  • Add the glutinous rice to the pan and stir until evenly distributed. Transfer everything into a tray/bowl, and to this add water until the rice is just covered. Steam for 40-50 minutes, or until desired texture. (This process is totally doable in a rice cooker, in which case you’d cook it with slightly less water than you would regular rice.)
  • Remove the rice from steamer/rice cooker, taste and adjust seasoning if need, and let cool.
  • Roll into balls, or leave loose. Top with fried shallots and spring onion, and enjoy!

Notes

  • It’s easiest to cut the cuttlefish lengthwise with a pair of scissors so they’ll curl up nicely when you cook them.