Print

crab fried sticky rice with jalapeño aioli

Adapted from Dale Talde on The Splendid Table.

Ingredients

Scale

For the fried rice:

  • 2 cups long grain sticky rice
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ½ cup minced shallots or onion (about 12 shallots or ½ small onion)
  • 2 tablespoons minced celery (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 23 cloves, minced)
  • 23 tablespoons pickled jalapeños
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • ⅛ teaspoon white pepper (or more, to taste)
  • 4 eggs
  • 36 ounces king crab, picked (or more, to taste)
  • 12 teaspoons Shaoxing rice wine, sake, or dry sherry (optional)

For the jalapeno aioli:

  • ⅓ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, diced, with seeds removed if you’d like less heat
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce

For garnish:

  • ½ cup torn cilantro
  • ¼ cup tobiko (optional)

Instructions

  1. At least 2 hours and up to 24 hours ahead: Rinse the sticky rice several times in cold water and cover with water in a large bowl. Let soak for at least two hours and up to 24.
  2. The day of: Bring a couple of inches of water to boil in a large pot or wok. Drain the rice in a fine-mesh strainer or colander, and place over the boiling water in a bamboo steamer or a colander lined with cheesecloth. (I used a piece of parchment paper, too, just to keep from sticking. No pun intended!) Cover and let steam for 15 minutes. Uncover and flip the rice a few times with a paddle, then cover again and continue to steam for another 10 minutes, or until rice is translucent, glossy, and not at all crunchy. If there are still hard bits, continue to steam for another 5-10 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and set aside.
  4. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until very hot. Add the vegetable oil and heat until shimmering, then add the shallots (or onion), celery, garlic, and pickled jalapenos. Season with about ¼ teaspoon or so salt, then cook, stirring, until shallots begin to soften.
  5. Push the aromatics to the side and add the beaten egg. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the egg reaches a soft scramble, then add the sticky rice, crab meat, salt, and pepper. Drizzle the rice wine evenly around the edges of the wok, if desired. Stir vigorously until it’s all well-combined, then turn the heat down to its lowest setting and cover while you make the aioli.
  6. For the aioli: Combine the mayonnaise, jalapeño, and fish sauce in a blend and whizz until smooth. Add a swirl to each plate, then serve the fried rice on top, followed by cilantro and tobiko (if using) and an extra drizzle of aioli. Enjoy!