My Happy Birthday Kiampong Rice
It’s my birthday and I decided to cook something special! (yes, I have to cook it myself for myself haha). For some reason, I got a sudden craving for Kiampong. Fortunately, I had all of the ingredients in the pantry. And guess what? You don’t need to be a kitchen wizard to bring this culinary delight to life, especially when you have a modern ally like a rice cooker at your service.
Kiampong Rice was originally Fokien’s or Hokien’s “Salty Rice”. I’m not sure how salty that was but it seems to me that this rice recipe is akin to the Chinese Machang which really lasts long. It may have been used as a preservative. It turns out that despite its name, the Kiampong is a totally Filipino dish brought by the Chinese ancestors who migrated to the Philippines even before the Spaniards.
I first got a taste of Kiampong Rice in Binondo at the old Sincerity Cafe and really liked it, I’m really a fan of rice dishes, as you can see from my blog, I have almost all kinds of rice recipes –Hainanese, Chicken and Rice, Kimchi Rice, etc.
This is a dump and cook recipe -but I did brown the meat first. You can skip that part if you want but methinks that it really gives a better flavor profile to the dish.
Why Kiampong in a Rice Cooker?
For those of us who’ve turned our kitchens into our little sanctuaries, the rice cooker is no less than a magic pot. It’s not just about cooking rice to perfection; it’s about exploring a world of dishes with a push of a button. Kiampong, using rice as a main ingredient, is a perfect candidate for rice cooker cooking. It’s all about getting that authentic taste without the fuss, making it an excellent choice for busy bees, enthusiastic food explorers, and anyone in between.
I have the 6L Imarflex Turbo Cooker and I’m so happy with how this turned out. The good thing about this cooker is that it has the right heat and can allow you to saute the pork first before putting it all together like in a paella. (as opposed to other rice cookers).
Kiampong Rice
Ingredients
- 3 cups Jasmine Rice
- 1 cup glutinous rice /”malagkit”
- 300 grams pork belly
- 100 grams Chinese dried mushroom (stems removed and presoaked for 5 minutes)
- 50 g hibi (salted dried shrimp)
- 4 cups water
- 2 knobs of ginger, smashed
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 pc red onion
- 7 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoon olive or corn oil
- 50 Grams roasted peanuts
- spring onion
- dried squid (optional)
Instructions
- Soak the mushroom. and dried squid.
- Wash the rice.
- Saute the pork and ginger on the Turbo Cooker.
- Combine everything in the Turbo Cooker/ Rice Cooker Pot.
- For Turbo Cooker, set to Rice Cooker setting. For regular rice cooker, set to cook.
- When cooked, release the pressure on Turbo Cooker.
- Fluff the rice to mix then transfer to plate and serve.
- Enjoy!
It was a really quick cook for such a special dish. It was just how I imagined it would be. Serve it with some clear soup to balance the saltiness. Some other Kiampong recipes have bokchoy or mustard leaves and Chinese sausages. It seems that that is traditional. Also, it turns out that this is such a big batch and a family of four can’t finish it in one go. I gave some to the neighbors but still had some leftovers. They are freezer friendly though so off they went to the freezer for future cravings.
This is great to pair with clean tasting fish dishes such as the Chinese Style Steamed Cream Dory.
