No mai fan (also spelled lo mai fan) is a Cantonese dish of steamed glutinous rice studded with lap cheong (Chinese sausage), mushrooms, and other savory bits. For Chinese American recipe developer and fashion designer Peter Som, it was a childhood favorite that has since become a staple on his Thanksgiving table. In place of the traditional clay pot, or “sand pot,” Som’s version uses a Dutch oven, which is ideal for keeping the rice warm until you’re ready to serve it. If you can’t find glutinous rice, also known as sweet rice or sticky rice, use all jasmine rice and add a few extra tablespoons of broth for a slightly stickier consistency. After cooking, let the rice sit, covered, for 10–15 minutes. (Using only jasmine will be a fair approximation, but it’s well worth seeking out glutinous rice for this recipe.) And while any brand of Cantonese cured pork will do for its distinctive sweet and savory taste, Som prefers Kam Yen Jan’s sausages.
For the rest of Som’s Thanksgiving menu, see his recipes for Asian Pear Salad With Peanut-Lime Dressing, Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Gochujang Brown Butter, Sweet Potato Tian, Char Siu Wellington, and Milk Tea Bread Pudding With Crème Anglaise.
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What you’ll need
Chinese Sausage
$7 At Weee!
Dutch Oven
$133 $80 At Amazon
Mesh Sieve
$13 At Amazon
Medium Bowl
$17 At Amazon
Chef's Knife
$34.53 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
8 Servings
Ingredients
1½
1½
3
4
3
4
1
¼
2
3
1
½
½
Preparation
Step 1
Rinse glutinous rice and jasmine rice in several changes of cold water in a medium bowl until water runs clear. Drain well and set aside.
Step 2
Combine shallots, garlic, and oil in a small Dutch oven or large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until shallots are tender and beginning to turn golden brown around edges, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add lap cheong and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Stir in dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and reserved rice.
Step 3
Pour in broth and season with salt; stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until rice is tender, 20–25 minutes.
Step 4
Remove pot from heat and stir in peas, ½ cup cilantro, and ½ cup scallions. Transfer rice to a platter and top with more cilantro and scallions.
Leave a Review
Reviews (19)
Back to TopI cooked the recipe as is and it was delicious. Hubby and I ate the whole pot in a couple days. Will be cooking this recipe at 1 1/2 times or double for my family since we have 4 growing teenage grandsons too. I'm sure there won't be any leftovers.
Anonymous
12/30/2022
Need to soak the glutinous rice overnight for it to cook evenly and thoroughly in the time frame in the recipe. There's also way too much dark soy sauce - it overwhelms every other component of the dish. After quite a few adjustments the dish came out pretty good but unfortunately the recipe itself is pretty flawed.
Anonymous
Boston, MA
12/6/2021
I followed the recipe exactly. Didn't have a problem with the rice being crunchy. I wish I had added the whole 14oz pkg of Lap Cheong instead of only half. Cilantro was a must IMO
Pam
Atlanta, GA
11/15/2021
Thank you for the previous reviews to avert disaster. I steamed the rice (3 c. of Jasmine rice) in 3 c. of chicken broth and steamed the lop cheung (Chinese sausages sliced) in a rice cooker on top of the rice so the rice was cooked and lop cheung were plump. I prepared the other remaining ingredients & lop cheung in a wok and then added the rice back in. It was ok... However, I would NOT use the dark soy sauce again–it makes the rice way too dark. I would use the light soy sauce instead. Since the recipe has so much soy sauce, I skipped the kosher salt. Not needed with the saltiness of the soy sauce. Next time, I will also skip the chicken broth. I don't think it adds much.
nano L
southern New Jersey
11/10/2021
I second the previous review. Didn't anyone try this recipe prior to it going to press? More like a thick porridge with most of the rice remaining undercooked and crunchy.
Scott
Philadelphia PA
10/24/2021
This recipe was very far from the picture and quite frankly a disaster. The glutinous rice made everything stick together, the image has the mushrooms whole instead of chopped and the sausage (which in the recipe is also said to be chopped but in the image its sliced) became soft after I added the chicken broth. The dish soaked up the broth pretty fast leading to the jasmine rice not being cooked while the sticky rice became a mush. I would definitely not make this again.
Tati K
Irvine, CA
10/23/2021