asian market surprise

Asian markets are a wonderland of things I will probably never be able to fully explore. Over the years I have learned some of their hidden secrets and I have grown fond of the pungent stench of seafood, exotic fruits, spices and strange, strange sauces.
 I think they are the best places to get affordable produce and pretty much the only place for the ultimately bizarre ingredients that you need when making Asian food (things like shrimp paste - how something that is purple and smells indescribably bad can taste so good is beyond my understanding).  What I love most of all is the fresh homemade treats that you can buy for a song that the really good markets carry.  

Funny side note..  I made the poor check out girls nervous that I was an inspector checking for labels with all my picture taking.    

(Left) $2.00 treat I took home Chinese sausage and sweet sticky rice. 

(Right) impossibly bright green desert rice with coconut

delicious but questionably sci-fi looking deserts containing coconut cream and gelatinous substances which tapioca is usually involved.  

Here is a basic guideline to the sticky rice with Chinese sausage.  Note: if you haven't had Chinese sausage before it's a sweet sausage that's very greasy.  When cooking with it I always let them set on a paper towel to soak up some of the grease.  

Ingredients - most will not be available at your normal grocery: 

Sticky Rice - AKA sweet rice (not to be mixed up with calrose rice that is used for sushi)

Chinese Sausage

Green Onion 

Fried Shallots

Dried Shrimp

Directions

Soak Rice over night for at least 8 hrs.  

This rice is steamed not boiled.  To do this either wrap in cheese cloth and put in a steamer basket or get a bamboo steamer usually available at the markets.  Steam rice for 20 min.  

While rice is being steamed saute the Chinese sausage when cooked add dried shrimp and green onions and set aside.  

Add mixture to rice top with fried shallots.  The recipe posted is just how I make my sticky rice and chinese sausage.  However I tasted a hint of coconut oil on the store bought kind that I liked a lot.  My guess is that they mix a little coconut cream with the rice then add the meat mixture.