Chinese sausage rice (腊肠饭) made easy using the Instant Pot! No rice soaking required, minimal active cooking time, and perfect results. The rich and savory sticky rice is seasoned with soy sauce and mixed with sweet Chinese sausage and crunchy water chestnuts. It’s an ideal one-pot weekday dinner!
Since I published the Sticky Rice Stuffing, I’ve received so much positive feedback and lots of questions on how to cook it in an Instant Pot. After testing it out, I was surprised to find out that the Instant Pot version is so easy and the result turned out just as great.
Why this recipe?
- No rice soaking required. Glutinous rice usually requires overnight soaking to cook it on the stovetop. You can skip that step when using this recipe.
- Minimal active cooking time. All you need to do is to brown the aromatics and the sausage in the Instant Pot. It takes about 10 minutes.
- Shortened cooking time. It takes about 25 minutes to cook this dish on the stovetop. The Instant Pot version only takes 12 minutes.
- Consistent (perfect) result. The rice and sausage will be cooked until soft and buttery and the chestnuts until crunchy.
The Instant Pot Chinese sausage rice is so simple to make that I would totally cook it on a busy weeknight. If you have an Instant Pot, I highly recommend using this version to make your cooking easier.
Chinese sausage rice ingredients
1. What is Chinese sausage (腊肠)?
Chinese sausage (腊肠, lap cheong) is made from fatty pork. It is normally smoked, sweetened, and seasoned with rose water, rice wine, and soy sauce. Once cooked with the rice, it becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender. The fat and sweetness melt into the gooey rice and taste so good.
These days you can easily find Chinese sausages in an Asian market. I’ve even seen Costco carry them a couple of times. If you can’t find them in your local stores, you can also purchase them from Amazon.
2. Dried Shiitake mushrooms
I highly recommend using dried shiitake mushrooms because they have an intense smoky flavor that fresh ones do not have. However, if you prefer using fresh shiitake mushrooms, you can replace the dried mushrooms with 8 to 10 medium-sized fresh ones.
You can find dried shiitake mushrooms in most Asian markets and even in regular grocery stores. You can also purchase them on Amazon.
3. Sticky rice
Sticky rice (糯米, Nuo Mi) is also called glutinous rice or sweet rice. It looks like white rice, but has a sticky and gooey texture once cooked. It is important to use this type of rice in this recipe for the best texture. You can easily find the rice in most Asian markets or on Amazon.
4. Mise en place
When you’re ready to cook, you should have the shiitake mushrooms soaked and sliced. The other ingredients should be chopped and measured out.
How to make instant pot Chinese sausage rice
- Saute the mushrooms and shallots with butter
- Saute the Chineses sausage
- Pour in Shaoxing wine to deglaze and use spatula to scrape off the browns bits from the bottom (very important)
- Mix in the sticky rice
- Add the rest of the ingredients and seasonings
- Cook on high for 12 minutes
That’s it! It is super easy to prepare. The rice will come out tender and gooey, soaked with rich sauces and the fat from the sausage, with a slightly charred bottom.
4. Easy clean up
When I cook Chinese sausage rice on the stovetop, the bottom of the rice usually gets burned (due to the soy sauce). However, I found that the Instant Pot version doesn’t have this issue. The bottom of the rice will brown, but you can easily scrape it off using a wooden spatula. If your rice doesn’t come off easily, simply soak the pot in hot water before scrubbing.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the instant pot keep showing “burn food” error?
I’ve gotten this question quite a few times, but unfortunately I was never able to recreate it when I was testing the recipe.
Over the years, I have used 3 different generations of Instant Pot. I suspect that it may show the “burn food” warning if you did not scrape the brown bits off completely after deglazing the pan with Shaoxing wine. During my latest cooking experience, I did find that it is best to not brown the shallot and sausage too much, so the bottom of the pot does not get too charred. And it will not affect the flavor of the finished dish.
Why did the bottom of the rice burn?
It is quite normal if the bottom of the rice gets browned because of the soy sauce and the sticky texture of the rice. Depending on the type of glutinous rice you use, you might get different results. For example, this recipe specifically uses short grain glutinous rice. If you use long grain glutinous rice, you might need to add 1/2 cup of chicken broth because long grain rice absorbs liquid differently.
I also found that after I upgraded my Instant Pot to the newer version, the result is much better. I noticed that the latest Instant Pot is heavier and distributes heat better. When I used my old IP, the bottom of the rice might burn a little (but could be easily cleaned off). And when I use the new IP, the rice is beautifully charred without any burning at all.
Can I replace the water chestnuts with other vegetables?
Yes! The water chestnuts are sweet and crunchy, adding a nice texture to the dish. But you can also use bamboo shoots or carrots in their place.
Can I use a pressure cooker to cook this dish?
Yes! Make sure you use no higher than medium heat when adding the pressure, then turn to low heat once pressure is added. This will prevent the bottom of the rice from burning.
Afterthoughts
I love receiving requests and questions from you, the reader, because it makes me think outside the box and improve my recipes. This Instant Pot Chinese sausage rice is a great example of a recipe developed in response to readers’ requests. I would not have imagined I could cook glutinous rice in an Instant Pot without soaking. But from now on, this will be my go-to method.
More Instant Pot recipes
- Instant Pot Pork Ribs (Chinese-Style)
- Instant Pot Bolognese (Hong Kong Style)
- Instant Pot Oxtail Soup
- Asian-Style Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Asian Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Eggs (Perfect Hard-Boiled & Soft-Boiled Eggs)
Instant Pot Chinese Sausage Rice (腊肠饭)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large shallots , sliced (or 1 onion)
- 8 medium-sized (about 0.5 oz / 15 g) dried shiitake mushrooms (*Footnote 1)
- 5 links (7 oz / 200 g) Chinese sausage , sliced
- 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 2 1/2 cups short grain sticky rice (glutinous rice)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup mushroom soaking liquid
- 1 cup whole water chestnuts , sliced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 green onions , thinly sliced (for garnish)
Instructions
Prep
- Add the dried shiitake mushrooms in a medium size bowl and pour in hot water. Soak until the mushrooms turn soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Once done, squeeze the liquid out of the mushrooms into the soaking water. Slice the mushrooms thinly. Reserve the soaking water for cooking.
Instant Pot
- Turn on the “Saute” function on your Instant Pot and wait until it’s warmed up (*Footnote 2). Add the butter and stir a few times until it melts.
- Add the shallot and shiitake mushrooms. Stir a few times to coat well with butter. Then spread the ingredients into a single layer. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 minutes or so.
- Add the Chinese sausage. Cook and stir until the edges turn light golden, 2 minutes.
- Pour in the Shaoxing wine. Use your spatula to release any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. This is very important. If you don’t deglaze the pot thoroughly, you might get a “burn food” error later on. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Turn off “Saute”. Add the rice. Stir to mix the rice evenly with the other ingredients. Add the chicken stock, 1/2 cup mushroom soaking liquid, water chestnuts, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and salt. Stir to mix well.
- Cover the Instant Pot and seal the valve. Set on “Manual” at high pressure for 12 minutes.
- Once the Instant Pot is done cooking, wait for at least 5 minutes, then switch to fast release by using the release button on your Instant Pot lid. Stay away from the Instant Pot to avoid being burned by the hot steam coming out of the pot when using fast release.
- Fluff the rice and garnish with sliced green onions. Serve hot as a main or side dish.
- Store the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 3 months. Reheat in the microwave before serving.
Notes
- If you used fresh shiitake mushrooms, use 1/2 cup chicken broth to replace the mushroom soaking liquid.
- You don’t have to wait until the Instant Pot is “heated” to add the butter. Instant Pot saute function only has one heat setting and I found it too hot to melt butter. You should add the butter once the pot has warmed up.
Hi, I tried this recipe and also got the burning signal from instant pot. What I’ve concluded is that instead of cooking at high pressure, you should do 12 minutes at low pressure (the rice preset) and then it will be fine.
Hi Allison, thanks so much for the tip! I’m going to test this again using the method you shared and update this recipe later.
Hi Maggie, I love your recipes. I made this tonight following recipe as is using my Instant Pot IP-DUO60 V2. When I went to do a quick release after 5 minutes no steam came out so I thought it didn’t cook. It didn’t look like it was done either when I opened the lid so I put the lid back on and turn it on to Rice setting instead but it never came up to pressure after 30 mins. I then tried again for another 30 mins thinking maybe I didn’t seal the lid properly. I did see some steam coming out of the pressure valve but it never come to pressure. So I gave up and decided to try cooking the rice mixture on the stovetop. Lo & Behold when I went to stir up the rice to scoop it into the pot the rice was fully cooked. The bottom was a little burned but I never got a “Burned” notice. It was delicious! I must try making it again and see what happens.
I followed this recipe exactly (using 2 cups chicken broth and the 1/2 cup mushroom water) and it came out perfectly (and delicious!), though I did let the rice soak in water while I was prepping the ingredients. I did not get a Burn error but there was a thin layer of rice stuck to the bottom of the pot (not a big deal). Now I want to double the recipe, but should I double all the ingredients (both solid and liquid ingredients) and keep the same cook time? Or is there any other adjustments I should make? Thank you!
I want to add oyster sauce would 2 teaspoon oyster sauce in place of dark soy be a reasonable substitute ?
I think so, a bit more like 1 tablespoon wouldn’t hurt either.
Hi Maggie, I made this dish today using 2 cups of chicken broth and 1/2 cup of mushroom liquid. I realized my instant pot (IP-Lux) did not come to pressure with 5 minutes left to cook. So I restarted instant pot and later tried the Rice function and it still did not come to pressure. I finally open the instant pot and most of the rice was cooked – no moisture left in pot. The bottom of pot was bit burnt. I wonder if I should use the rice function instead.
My family loved this recipe! A nostalgic flavor and such an easy way to make glutinous rice. Question: have you tried doubling it? How much time would I add? Thank you for the recipe- very delicious!
I followed everything to a T in my 8 qt instapot. I got a burn message. Checked it and saw the soy sauce carmelized on bottom. The rice was not fully cooked.
Hi Leylola, I’m sorry to hear your dish didn’t come out as expected.
My Instant Pot is very old and it doesn’t have the burn notification. I will be purchasing the newer model soon and retest the recipe.
From some of the feedback, using the rice cooking setting will resolve the issue.
Just made this, so delicious! Thank you. I can’t remember what I ended up doing, but I was a bit confused if the mushroom water was in addition to the chicken stock? So for example if I was using 1 cup long grain rice to 1.25 cup stock, do I add 0.5 cup mushroom water on top of that or is that part of the stock?
Hi Maggie, will the same recipe work for rice cooker?
It will work if your rice cooker has sweet rice or brown rice function, since the glutinous rice requires a longer cooking time.
I tried this using the rice function on my instant pot and it was my first time using it and it didn’t go well. It never came up to pressure and when it was done the rice was mushy and there was thick layer of burnt rice on the bottom. Will this work better using pressure cook function high or low for 12 minutes instead? Thanks
This is the best rice I’ve ever made! Definitely five stars. I’d give it 20 if I could! It reminded me of the rice we get at the local dim sum restaurant where we live. I’ve been trying and trying to get the texture. This is it! Tbank you, from the bottom of my heart!
I did have to play with it, though. It never came up to pressure so I think not enough liquid for pressure cooking in an 8-quart Instant Pot. A 6-quart would probably be better. Also, the rice function didn’t help. I ended up letting it just cook for about 16 minutes and then dished it up. There was a thin layer of crust thought not burned but I have a non-stick insert so it came out just fine, kind of like a Chinese tahdig. The rice was thoroughly cooked, though so I saved it. You may want to revisit what kind of pot you cook it in and specify the settings you use. Also, warning: not enough liquid will not get you the pressure you need so big pots won’t work. I gave the stars because it was so freakin’ delicious, once I figured out how to salvage it.
I’ve tried this recipe twice and the instructions are a no go. The first time I tried it, I did it in an 8 quart pot. I put it on the rice setting and it never came up to pressure. I figured that the 8 quart was too big so not enough liquid to get it there. I bought a 6 quart. I just made it, put it on the rice setting and, again, it did not come up to pressure. I switched it to the pressure setting… nothing. I can hear it boiling but it’s just not coming up to pressure. I followed it each time, to the specifications you have listed and it has been an abject failure. I just let the rice cook until it was done, on saute. It was okay but took longer to do. What can be the problem here?
I’ve made sticky rice in my IP in the past, combining a few different recipes and techniques, but never wrote it down! Your recipe is the closest to what I was doing, and I’m trying it now with a few minor tweaks. Thank you, will follow up with a few notes on what I modified once I see how it worked out.
Success! Yummy sticky rice for dinner. Thank you so much for your recipe and tips. I changed up a few things to make it more like my Mom’s (see below). Testing this out so we can make it on Thanksgiving.
1 Cup sweet rice and 1 Cup jasmine rice
2.25 Cup chix broth (I used 2.5 Cup but would reduce it next time)
Chinese sausage
1 large shallot
2 stalks celery
Shiitake mushrooms
Water chestnuts 1 can
2 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS oyster sauce
Skipped the wine
Used my instant pot on the rice setting. It automatically adjusts the time for what’s in the pot, and it cooked for 13 min (low pressure). I let it sit for 10 min before releasing pressure. It was a bit soggy which I dealt with by turning the IP back on for a few min until the burn signal came on, then turned it off and let it sit for 30 min. Next time I will reduce the liquid to 2 – 2.25 Cup.
Hi Melanie, thanks so much for sharing your cooking tips and I’m glad to hear the rice turned out well!
I think it’s a great idea to add some jasmine rice, so the rice will have a lighter fluffier texture.
The recipe has had mixed reviews due to water amount. I often start with just enough water so the rice won’t turn soggy. But apparently some Intant Pot shows burning sign (mine never did) so it’s hard to judge. I hope the rice will turn out well for you next time when you reduce the water.
It turned out quite tasty! This is my first time making sticky rice. Thank you for another great recipe.
But the bottom seems to have burnt. Any tips to prevent that?
I’m glad to hear you like the recipe! For the scorched bottom, unfortunately there’s little way to prevent that because because the soy sauce and the starchy rice is causing it. You might be able to make it less scorched by adding more liquid, but the rice might get a bit mushier.
Can I substitute carrots for mushrooms?
You totally can!
This is an awesome recipe for 臘味返! So easy, fast and delicious. I use 臘肉 in stead of butter for a deeper flavor and I use Chinese chives in stead of green onions 😊 Thank you so much for this recipe!
Wow! Flavor and texture bomb. Hard to stop eating it. I’ve only had this while out for dimsum. Never thought I’d be able to make it myself. It was surprisingly easy. I love the combo of sticky savory rice, crispy water chestnuts, chewy sightly sweet sausage and the freshness and heat of the green onion. I like to cut the sausage lengthwise into 4 strips, then diced so that the sausage is more evenly distributed though the rice.
So happy to hear you like this one and thanks so much for leaving a positive review 🙂
Do you think I can add clean bamboo leaves to the pot so it can impart the flavor of a zongzi?
I think you can and it’s a great idea!
Hi Maggie, have you tried making this with lap yuk (Chinese bacon). Bought some today at Costco & looking for ways to use it, Thanks!
Yes! Lap yuk will work perfect in this. Happy cooking 🙂
Sticky rice is one of my must-have items when eating dim sum, so I was very excited when I found this recipe! I have a 6qt IP and like many others experienced the ‘BURN’ (literally and figuratively – LOL) during the cook time and my IP did not come up to pressure when using the ‘Rice’ function. Not wanting to give up on one of my favorite dishes, I experimented and made adjustments for a total of about 4-5x before the recipe worked for me. For those who have issues with the IP not coming up to pressure, burn issues, and or rice sticking to the bottom of your pot, you may find my suggestions helpful – at the step where the rice is added, stir the other ingredients in the liquid, then spread evenly across the bottom of the pot before adding the rice last WITHOUT stirring, so that it just lies on top of the other ingredients without touching the base of the pot to prevent burn/sticking. You will want to gently spread the rice so that all the grains are below the liquid level, otherwise, anything above the liquid will not cook and you will have patches of uncooked white glutinous rice – learn from my experience 😉 I also used High Pressure for 12mins rather than the ‘Rice’ function.
Other than that, other small adjustments I made due to personal preference is that I removed the salt and also added the water chestnuts after cooking because I wanted to retain more crunch.
Thank you, Maggie, for sharing this recipe and technique and for all your other dishes on this site! You’re amazing and I can’t get enough!
Hi Sue and Maggie,
Do you mind sharing the sticky rice and pot that you use? I’ve tried this recipe and other recipes as well and continue to get the burn message =(. I don’t know what I am doing wrong as I follow the recipe to the T along with the suggested fixes. So I am assuming its the type of rice?? or pot?? I am using. I am determined to get my sticky rice fix!!
Thanks in advance, super appreciate it 🙂
Do you mind sharing the rice
This is the Instant Pot I use: https://amzn.to/3Vgodma
The rice I used was a regular short grain sticky rice I got from H Mart. https://amzn.to/3PUop8r Mine has slightly different packaging but it is very similar to this one.
There are a few reasons would cause the burning message. I think this article might be helpful: https://kristineskitchenblog.com/instant-pot-burn/
For this recipe, it could be:
– The pot got too hot after sauteeing the food, and somehow the temperature didn’t drop enough after you add the liquid
– Some brown bits might still stuck on the pot after deglazing
– Not enough liquid (especially if you use medium grain sticky rice, which absorb more water)
If none of those are the causes, it could be that the soy sauce start to burn on the bottom during the cooking. Unfortunately I don’t see a great fix to this, since soy sauce also causes some degree of scorching on the pan’s bottom when you cook any type of rice. The only solution I can think of is, reduce the soy sauce (maybe to 1 tablespoon), and mix in more later once the rice is cooked.
After having the instant pot over a year I have discovered there ARE 3 levels of sauté! Just push the sauté button and it moves to the next level, the level it’s on is a red lit area showing low, med, high.
That’s also how you choose the levels of pressure for the pressure cooking function.
Wow I have no idea! Thanks for sharing the tip. Can’t wait to try it out next time 🙂