Thanksgiving has come and gone, and by now all the leaves have fallen. As we gear up for the long winter ahead, our bodies are craving carbs. Its nature’s way of preparing ourselves for the cold and the dreary. So why not take this opportunity to eat something outrageous. Enter Chinese breakfast items, i.e., carbs rolled into carbs, carbs toasted on carbs, and carbs ladled over carbs or Shanghai sticky rice rolls.
A Classic Shanghainese Breakfast
Let me introduce you to one of these many carb-filled creations. Specifically, one of the four breakfast warriors famous in Shanghai: “ci fan”, 粢饭. It’s a sticky rice ball filled with Chinese fried dough (you tiao), pork sung, and pickled vegetable. Ahhhhh…welcome to the land of carbs on carbs. Chinese people don’t fool around.
If you’ve read my post, The Shanghai Breakfast Club: How to Eat Like a Local, we talk about this Shanghainese rice roll. The woman working the stall would make these sticky rice rolls at lightning speed while patrons waited impatiently.
After we came back from Shanghai, we posted a few recipes for our favorite Shanghainese breakfast items. So far, we have recipes for Chinese Fried Dough (油条), Shanghai Scallion Pancakes (上海葱油饼), Shanghai Hot Sauce Noodle Soup (上海辣酱面), Shanghai Wonton Soup (上海小馄饨), Jidan Bing (鸡蛋饼), Savory Soy Milk Soup (咸豆浆), and today’s post, Ci fan (粢饭).
Of course, I am leaving the best and the most difficult one for last, and, yes, I am talking about Shanghai Sheng Jian Bao (上海生煎包). The current status is that I’m still working on getting the dough recipe exactly right, and I’ve paused efforts after practically choking the family with pan after pan of dud buns. A recipe is coming, and when it does, it will be great!
Alright, back to the star of this post. Rice balls are nothing new–the Japanese have their onigiri, Italians have their arancini, and Koreans have their joomak bap.
But they all share one common theme: other than the rice itself, all the other elements are really unique to the preferences of the cook–you can go wherever your mind takes you (or follow what you have in the fridge at the moment).
Recipe Notes
For this recipe, other than the two main ingredients—the cooked sticky rice and the Chinese fried dough—I will leave all other fillings to your own discretion. But just so you know, most Shanghainese people like their ci fan sticky rice rolls filled with pork sung (肉松), Chinese preserved vegetable (咸菜 and/or 榨菜), toasted sesame seeds, chopped scallions, chopped cilantro, sugar, and/or chili sauce.
They’re so easy to put together, especially with the help of a sushi rolling mat. The only tip you need from me is how best to cook the rice, a key factor for a successful outcome.
As for the Chinese Fried Dough, you can make it ahead of time using our you tiao recipe or use store-bought you tiao from the frozen section of your Chinese grocery store.
If you are making them from scratch, Chinese fried dough can be stored in the freezer, and they reheat nicely in the toaster oven. So for this recipe, you’re literally just cooking the rice and assembling it! Skip the ho-hum bowl of cereal and try this when you want to treat yourself.
Some additional quick remarks before you jump into the recipe:
- This recipe makes two long rice rolls. Cut each one in half for 4 generous portions.
- You can adjust the ingredients according to your own tastes–more or less preserved vegetables, less fried dough, etc.
- The sticky rice must be hot or warm when assembling. Cold sticky rice can harden a bit and cause indigestion––not to mention it’s not as tasty.
- Buy the Chinese preserved vegetable (zha cai 榨菜 and/or xian cai 咸菜) that comes in a pouch rather than the ones that are canned. If you can only find canned, it’ll work, but we prefer the taste of the ones that are available in pouches.
Shanghai Breakfast Rice Rolls (Ci Fan 粢饭): Recipe Instructions
In your rice cooker, add the short grain white rice, the sweet rice (also known as sticky rice), and water. (See our Chinese Rice, Grains and Flours page for more details on different rice types).
I cook the rice per my rice cooker’s sweet rice setting. You can also cook the rice in a pot using our “How to cook rice without a rice cooker” recipe. Regardless of the method you use, the end result should be rice that is fully cooked, but still a bit firm and chewy—similar to making pasta al dente.
While the rice is cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients and toast the Chinese fried dough so it’s crispy. Once the rice is cooked, take out your sushi rolling mat, line it with a sheet of clear plastic wrap, scoop out ½ of the rice and carefully flatten it out over the plastic into a thin layer. Wetting your hands with warm water can prevent the rice from sticking to them.
Next, lay 1 piece of Chinese fried dough in the center (you’ll see below that “1 piece” of fried dough is actually two long pieces that are stuck together. The one below came apart a bit).
Then sprinkle on ½ of the pork sung.
And ½ of the Chinese preserved vegetable (zha cai 榨菜 and/or xian cai 咸菜). If you’d like, you can also sprinkle over chopped cilantro, scallions, and sesame seeds at this step. We kept it pretty simple this time, though.
Roll up the filling in the “sheet” of sticky rice by rolling the sushi mat.
Squeeze the sushi mat to ensure that the roll stays in tact.
Repeat these steps to assemble the second roll. Cut each one in half, and breakfast is served!
Enjoy your ci fan sticky rice rolls with a bowl of savory soy milk soup (or a glass of hot sweet soy milk), and you’re ready to greet the day. (Or perhaps take a nap.)
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Recipe
Shanghai Breakfast Rice Rolls (Ci Fan 粢饭)
Ingredients
- 1 cup short grain white rice (180g)
- 1 cup sweet rice (180g, also known as sticky rice)
- 1½ cups water
- 2 pieces Chinese fried dough (you tiao, 油条)
- 1 cup pork sung (肉松)
- ½ cup Chinese preserved vegetable (zha cai 榨菜 and/or xian cai 咸菜, finely chopped)
- Chopped cilantro and scallion (optional)
- Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- In your rice cooker, add the short grain rice, the sweet rice, and water. I cook the rice per my rice cooker’s sweet rice setting. You can also cook the rice in a pot using our “How to cook rice without a rice cooker” recipe. Regardless of the method you use, the end result should be rice that is fully cooked, but still a bit firm and chewy–similar to making pasta al dente.
- While the rice is cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients and toast the Chinese fried dough so it’s crispy. Once the rice is cooked, take out your sushi rolling mat, line it with a sheet of clear plastic wrap, scoop out ½ of the rice and carefully flatten it out over the plastic into a thin layer. Wetting your hands with warm water can prevent the rice from sticking to them.
- Next, lay 1 piece of Chinese fried dough in the center, along with ½ of the pork sung, and ½ of the Chinese preserved vegetables. If you’d like, you can also sprinkle over chopped cilantro, scallions, and sesame seeds at this step. Roll up the filling in the “sheet” of rice by rolling the sushi mat. Squeeze the sushi mat to ensure that the roll stays in tact. Repeat these steps to assemble the second roll. Cut each one in half, and breakfast is served!
