Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Instant Pot Chinese Sausage Rice (腊肠饭)
Sticky rice with Chinese sausage has a satisfying savory sweetness, with shiitake mushrooms tucked between the grains. Water chestnuts join the rice, and green onions freshen the top. It is an inviting bowl when you want rice with plenty of flavor of its own.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Original yield
- Serves 8
- Ingredients
- 13 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course · Sides
- Cuisine
- Chinese · Asian
- Cooking method
- Pressure cooker
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 16–30 minutes · Total: 31–60 minutes
- Dish type
- Rice dishes
A few quick notes
1. Deglaze well after the wine goes in
Scrape up the browned bits when you add the Shaoxing wine. It gives the rice good flavor, and it also helps prevent the Instant Pot from throwing a burn warning later.
2. Use the mushroom soaking liquid
After soaking the dried shiitakes, squeeze the liquid back into the bowl and save it for the rice. You only need the measured amount, but that soaking liquid brings a lot of mushroom flavor with it.
3. Give it a short rest before releasing
Once cooking finishes, let the pot sit for at least 5 minutes before using fast release. Keep clear of the steam when you press the release button.
Get to know the ingredients
Sticky rice means glutinous rice
Use short grain sticky rice, also called glutinous rice, and rinse and drain it well before it goes in. The rinsing step matters here because skipped starch can lead to a burn warning.
Dried shiitakes do two jobs
Slice the mushrooms into the rice and use their soaking water as part of the cooking liquid. If you're using fresh shiitakes, use chicken broth in place of the mushroom soaking liquid.
Dark soy adds color
Dark soy sauce is included alongside regular soy sauce for this rice. If you don't have it, you can use regular soy sauce in its place.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 8. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 10 steps completeMake room for Instant Pot Chinese Sausage Rice (腊肠饭)
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
The last little job
Fluff the rice before serving so the sausage, mushrooms, and water chestnuts are spread through the pot. Finish with the sliced green onions right at the end.
A little more help as you go
Add the butter before the pot gets too hot
You don't need to wait for the Instant Pot to read fully heated. Once the pot has warmed up, add the butter; the saute setting can run hot for melting it.
Brown the sausage just a little
The sausage only needs a brief cook after the shallots and mushrooms soften. Look for lightly golden edges, then move on to the wine so it doesn't overcook before pressure cooking.
A few questions you might have
Do I add the rice raw or cooked?
Add the rinsed and drained sticky rice raw. It cooks under pressure with the broth, mushroom soaking liquid, seasonings, sausage, mushrooms, and water chestnuts.
Why squeeze the shiitake mushrooms after soaking?
Squeezing pushes the mushroom liquid back into the soaking water, which you reserve for cooking. Then the softened mushrooms are sliced and added to the rice.
Can I use fresh shiitake mushrooms instead of dried?
Yes. If you use fresh shiitake mushrooms, replace the mushroom soaking liquid with chicken broth as noted.
Why turn off saute before adding the rice and liquids?
After the wine has loosened the browned bits and mostly evaporated, the saute step is done. Turning it off before adding the rice and liquids keeps the recipe moving into pressure cooking.
What should I watch for during fast release?
After the 5 minute rest, use the release button and keep away from the steam. The recipe specifically warns that the steam is hot enough to burn.
Any more cooking tips?
If you used fresh shiitake mushrooms, use 1/2 cup chicken broth to replace the mushroom soaking liquid. To rinse the rice, place the rice in a large bowl and add cold tap water to cover fully. Use your fingers to stir the rice in one direction, for a few times, to release starch. Drain off the water. Repeat 2 more times. Then drain the rice thoroughly. This step is crucial. You might experience burning warning from the Instant Pot if skipping this step. 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.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: omnivorescookbook.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
