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Bamboo tube rice
Sticky rice cooked in bamboo
Zhú tǒng fàn (竹筒飯): sticky rice and mushrooms cooked inside fresh bamboo over the fire
Drive the mountain roads around Alishan, or through the Amis villages of Hualien, and you'll smell this before you see it: lengths of green bamboo lined up over charcoal at roadside stalls, their skins blackening as the rice inside steams. Indigenous Taiwanese cooks have long carried rice into the hills this way. When the tube is split, the rice comes out as a firm, sticky cylinder wrapped in a papery inner membrane, perfumed with grassy bamboo and earthy shiitake. Soak the glutinous rice for at least 4 hours or overnight before you start. Packing the tubes to the top is a common error: rice expands, so fill them only three-quarters full and plug them loosely. Chef's tip: use only fresh, green bamboo with one node closed at the bottom, and never seal both ends tight, or steam pressure can split the tube.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the rice
- 14 oz glutinous ricesoaked in cold water for 4 hours or overnight, drained
- 6 dried shiitake mushroomssoaked in 300 ml warm water for 30 minutes
- 5 ½ oz fresh oyster or king oyster mushroomsdiced
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 cup shiitake soaking liquidtopped up with water if needed
For cooking
- 4 fresh green bamboo tubesabout 5 cm wide and 25 cm long, one end closed by a node, rinsed inside
- 4 banana leaf pieces or foilto plug the open ends
To serve
- 1 tsp salt mixed with ground Sichuan or white pepper (optional)
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Squeeze 6 dried shiitake mushrooms dry over a bowl so you keep the liquid, trim the stems and dice the caps.
Step 2: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the shiitake and 5 ½ oz fresh oyster or king oyster mushrooms for 5 minutes, until golden and any liquid has evaporated.
5 minStep 3: Take the pan off the heat and stir in 14 oz glutinous rice, 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground white pepper until the grains are evenly mixed with the mushrooms.
Step 4: Check each of the 4 fresh green bamboo tubes tubes for cracks and discard any split ones. Spoon in the rice mixture until each tube is three-quarters full, shaking it down gently without packing it.
Step 5: Pour 1 cup shiitake soaking liquid into each tube until it just covers the rice by about 5 mm, then push a loosely folded 4 banana leaf pieces or foil into each opening.
Step 6: Stand the tubes upright in a deep pot, add water to come a third of the way up, cover and simmer over a medium heat for 30 minutes, until the rice is just tender. Top up with boiling water if needed.
30 minStep 7: Meanwhile, light a charcoal grill or heat the oven to 425°F. Lay the tubes on the grill or on an oven tray.
Step 8: Roast for 20–25 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, until the bamboo is charred in patches and the rice smells toasty.
25 minStep 9: Cool for 5 minutes, then wrap one end in a tea towel and split the tube lengthways with a heavy knife or cleaver, working on a board and keeping your fingers clear.
5 minStep 10: Ease out the rice cylinder and slice it into rounds. Serve warm, with a pinch of 1 tsp salt mixed with ground Sichuan or white pepper if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 90 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bamboo tube rice take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of glutinous rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of dried shiitake mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
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