Celebration Vegan Sticky Rice Cake | Ottolenghi

Twenty-twenty is a year like no others, notably in breathtaking losses. Hardest of all is the loss of my dad in early Jan. I made Ottolenghi’s celebration vegan sticky rice cake in his remembrance. “It’s inspired by lo mai gai, a classic Chinese dim sum made with steamed glutinous rice.”

My dad would have loved the flavorful sticky rice knowing how much he enjoyed dim sum. We mourn his passing still, amid the relentless distractions and challenges of life in the past year. I have to say we’re starting to see light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Hopefully, we’re moving in a positive direction and the celebration is appropriate.

Since we’re retreating to the mountains, we have to cope with doing more with less — the very mechanism to endure the 2020 pandemic. For some strange reasons, I’ve serendipitously found sticky rice, mushrooms and chestnuts. These are the essential ingredients in order to make the celebration vegan sticky rice cake, in a manner faithful to Ottolenghi’s recipe. It’s like this cake is waiting to be found and made.

What I don’t have are the cast iron Dutch oven and the ingredients to make the pine nuts salsa. So I make several adaptations to get to the finished cake and try not to compromise the intended structure and taste. Imagine a celebration cake that gets noticed the moment you step into the room — with oohs and aahs!

Not having a cast iron pan to cook the cake on the stovetop, I use a 9-inch springform ring pan with a removable bottom. Line it with parchment paper and set up a steaming operation in a larger covered pan, like a bain marie. (Bypass the bain marie if you have a steam oven.) This configuration works really well; the rice cake cooks evenly throughout. You can also set up a deep round cake pan (lined or greased) in a large pot of water with a cover.

Once the equipment setup is complete, start cooking. First, cook the mushroom, in any method you’d prefer. I braise the mushrooms whole in garlic, ginger, soy sauce, maple syrup and spices until they are tender. The leftover braising liquid turns into a final glaze over the cake or serve it as a gravy on the side.

Then layer the cake, according to the process outlined in the recipe. The mushroom forms the bottom layer. Next is the chopped and ready-cooked chestnut. Finally, the soaked and seasoned sticky rice goes on top. Try to think of it: stacking the rice cake is so much more simple and cleaner than working with cake batter and toppings.

Pour room-temperature water over the wet sticky rice, just enough water to cover the rice in the pan. The recipe calls for 400 grams of rice and 350 ml of water, much less than you’d normally use to cook rice in a pot. Interesting, the ratio of rice to water works. After approximately 35 minutes of steaming, the sticky rice is tender and the cake becomes a cohesive whole.

Rest the cake for 10 minutes. Then, flip the cake to release it onto a plate, which is always a tenuous operation. I celebrate when the whole cake stands tall, with the right side up and in one piece. Wow and a pat on the shoulder; say proudly we make it!

Surprised how tasty the cake comes out considering all the alterations and adaptations. One thing I can conclude is this cake is very forgiving. I know my dad would have loved it as much as we do.

Print Recipe

Celebration Sticky Rice Cake

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 400g Thai sticky rice – Ottolenghi recommends the Thai Taste brand
• 200g ready-cooked and peeled chestnuts, roughly chopped
• Salt and black pepper
• FOR THE ROASTED MUSHROOMS:
• 500g oyster mushrooms, roughly torn
• 250g chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped into 3cm pieces
• 90ml soy sauce
• 120ml olive oil
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 60ml maple syrup
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• FOR THE PINE NUT SALSA:
• 5½ tbsp (20g) picked parsley leaves
• 20g chives, roughly chopped
• 6 spring onions, trimmed and julienned
• 60g pine nuts, well toasted
• 60ml olive oil
• 40ml lemon juice

Instructions

1

Roast the mushroom:

2

Heat the oven to 240°C (220°C fan)/475°F/gas 9. Put the rice in a large bowl of cold water and leave to soak for 30 minutes (or longer, depending on brand).

3

Put all the roast mushroom ingredients in a high-sided, 30cm x 23cm baking tray or a quarter-sheet, and season with a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a lot of black pepper – about 40 twists of the grinder. (The size of the tray is important here, because the mushrooms need to sit snugly so the liquid does not evaporate.) Mix well to combine, then roast for 15 minutes.

4

Remove the mushrooms from the oven and pour all the liquid from the tray into a small saucepan: this will be your gravy.

5

Give the mushrooms a good stir, then return them to the oven for another 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Stir in the chopped chestnuts and set aside.

6

Construct the layered rice cake:

7

Line the base of a 8-inch or 20cm cast-iron pan for which you have a lid with a circle of greaseproof paper. Grease the paper and the sides of the pan with oil, then spoon in the roast mushrooms and flatten them out to create an even layer.

8

Drain the rice, then mix with 350ml room-temperature water and a teaspoon and a quarter of salt, then put the rice on top of the mushrooms. Flatten the surface of the rice – it should be just covered by water – then use a chopstick or skewer to poke six holes in the rice all the way to the bottom of the pan, to let steam escape while it’s cooking.

9

Put the pan on a medium-high heat until the water begins to simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and cook for 35 minutes. Remove from the heat and, without lifting the lid, leave to rest for 10 minutes.

10

Make the salsa:

11

Meanwhile, mix all the salsa ingredients in a small bowl with a third of a teaspoon of salt, and set aside.

12

Add two tablespoons of water to the gravy pan, place on a medium-high heat and cook gently for three minutes, whisking the mixture to incorporate everything, until heated through.

13

Flip the cake:

14

Once the rice has rested for 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge of the pan to release it from the sides. Place a large, lipped platter on top of the pan, then quickly flip the whole thing over to release the cake from the pan and on to the platter. Remove and discard the greaseproof paper.

15

Top the rice cake with half the pine nut salsa, then pour the warm gravy around the outside, like a moat. Serve hot with the remaining salsa alongside.

Notes

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/dec/12/yotam-ottolenghi-vegan-recipe-celebration-sticky-rice-cake