‘Okowa’ is a type of glutinous rice dish and it’s my favourite. I love ‘Okowa’ dishes, especially the one my mother used to cook by steaming.

This Pork ‘Okowa’ recipe is inspired by Chinese rice dumplings made of glutinous rice stuffed with other ingredients and wrapped in large leaves. The triangular shaped dumplings are usually cooked by steaming. It must be time-consuming to prepare them.

This recipe is easy. This Pork ‘Okowa’ can be cooked in a rice cooker. It is very moist and tasty even cold, that means it is perfect for ‘Onigiri’ (Rice Balls). Simply make it into triangular shape if you like.

Makes

4 to 6 Servings

Ingredients

2 cups (*180ml cup) Glutinous Rice *short grain preferred
1 cup (*180ml cup) Japanese Short Grain Rice
250g Thinly Sliced Pork
1 small piece Ginger *sliced into thin strips OR finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon Sesame Oil
80g Bamboo Shoots (I use canned cooked Bamboo Shoots)
5 to 6 Shiitake *about 80g (If you use dried Shiitake, they must be well rehydrated)
1/2 Carrot *about 80g
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1/2 tablespoon Sugar
1 tablespoon Sake (Rice Wine)
1/2 cup Frozen Peas

Soup Ingredients

2 cups (500ml) Chicken Stock *OR Water 2 cups & Asian Chicken Bouillon Powder 2 teaspoons
1/2 to 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce *depends on the saltiness of the stock
1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1 tablespoon Mirin

Method
  1. Wash Glutinous Rice and Regular Short Grain Rice together and drain.
  2. Cut thinly sliced Pork into small pieces. Slice all vegetables into small pieces or thin strips.
  3. Heat Sesame Oil in a frying pan and cook Pork and Ginger. When Pork changes colour, add Soy Sauce, Sugar and Sake (Rice Wine), then add Bamboo Shoots and Shiitake and cook until the sauce is almost gone.
  4. Make soup by mixing all the ingredients.
  5. Place well-drained Rice in the rice cooker’s inner pot, place Pork mixture and Carrot over the Rice evenly. DO NOT MIX. Gently pour the soup over.
  6. Press the Cook/Start button. When the rice is cooked, sprinkle Frozen Peas over and let them steamed for 10 minutes, then toss the rice gently.