Fried Glutinous Rice With Wind-Dried Meats ('Laap Mei')

1. 1

   Put the glutinous rice and long-grain rice in a bowl and rinse it several times, until the water is almost clear. Drain off as much water as possible, then cover with 500ml of fresh water (add a little more if the rice is old). Leave to soak for several hours then put it in a rice cooker. Put the salted duck leg on top then steam until the rice is cooked. Chill the rice and duck leg in the fridge for several hours.

2. 2

   Soak the dried shrimp and dried mushrooms in just enough warm water to cover, adding more water if needed as the ingredients soak it up. Leave for about an hour, or until the shrimp and mushrooms are fully hydrated. Drain the ingredients, reserving the soaking liquid. Remove and discard the mushroom stems, and cut the caps into 5mm dice. Remove the bones from the duck leg, then cut the meat into very small cubes. Quarter the laap cheung and yuen cheung lengthwise, then cut into pieces about 5mm thick. Cut the spring onions into 5mm lengths. Slice the gai lan stalks into rounds about 3mm thick. Mix the kecap manis with 30ml of the soaking liquid from the mushrooms and shrimp, add about a quarter of a teaspoon of salt and stir to dissolve. Rub the rice between your dampened palms to break up the lumps.

3. 3

   Heat a wok over a high flame and when it's hot, add the laap cheung, yuen cheung and duck. Stir-fry over a high heat until the meat is cooked and the fat starts to render out. Scrape the meat into a bowl, leaving behind as much fat as possible. There should be about 30ml of fat in the wok; if needed, add some lard, rendered duck or chicken fat, or cooking oil. When the fat is hot, add the shrimp, mushrooms and kale to the wok and stir-fry for about a minute. Add the spring onion and stir-fry until wilted, then put these ingredients into the bowl containing the meat.

4. 4

   Put about 30 grams of fat into the wok and heat it over a high flame, then add the rice. Stir-fry until the rice is very hot, adding more fat if it sticks to the wok. Add the kecap manis/soaking liquid and stir until the rice is evenly coloured, then throughly mix in the meats, shrimp, mushrooms, kale and spring onion. Taste some of the mixture and sprinkle in more salt, if needed. Stir fry for about a minute or until the ingredients are very hot.

5. 5

   If you like crusty rice (as with bo jai fan - clay pot rice), spread the ingredients in a thin layer in the wok, press gently and leave undisturbed until you hear the rice start to crackle and smell toasted. Stir everything together, then repeat. (I do this several times.) Add more fat to the wok if the rice sticks. When it's ready, scoop the rice into bowls and serve immediately.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.