Margarita's International Recipes

Dai

Pineapple Sticky Rice This recipe is just a lot of fun and sure to dazzle all of our guests. The cool factor is in the presentation, the pineapple rice is served inside the pineapple and who doesn't want to have a pineapple at the table? I wasn't very sure if this is supposed to be a dinner or dessert dish – it's rather sweet – but it is usually served with grilled meats. I served it with roasted chicken. I followed the original recipe very closely, except that I used jasmine rice rather than glutinous rice, as it was easier to get. I also ended up soaking the rice in water for a whole day, after deciding that I wasn't going to cook dinner the original day. I was happy to learn that, unlike basmati rice, jasmine rice does not seem to break with prolonged soaking. After soaking, I put the rice directly on the steamer basket of my electric steamer, forgoing the rice tray. That worked well enough. I used the recommended half a banana, but feel free to use a whole one. Pineapple Sticky Rice Ingredients 1 cup glutenous rice 1 pineapple 1/2 banana 1 – 3 Tbsp. sugar Directions Put the rice in a bowl and cover with 2 inches of warm water. Soak for 2 – 3 hours. Transfer the rice to a steamer bowl and steam for 20 minutes. Meanwhile cut the top of the pineapple and set aside. Scoop out the pulp from the pineapple – you may need to use a knife -, leaving the sides and bottom of the pineapple intact. Set aside the core, and cute 1 cup of the pulp into chunks. When the rice is ready, put in a bowl. Add the pineapple chunks, squeezing them in your hands to release the juice. Add the banana, mashing it with your hands. Mix well and add sugar, how much you add will depend on how sweet the pineapple is. Spoon the rice mixture into the pineapple shell. Cover with the top and fix using toothpicks. Set in a large steamer and steam for 40 minutes. Serve. Adapted from Mi Zhuang's recipe as reported by Georgia Freedman in China South of the Clouds at Dai Recipes | Marga's International Recipes | Marga's Best Recipes | Marga's Food Blog | E-mail