Taiwanese Sticky Rice Sausage (台式糯米腸)

With casing left from my Sichuan Spicy Sausage this year, I made some Taiwanese sticky rice sausage. The traditional style would have included peanut. With nut allergy in the family, I picked this nut free one from a post at Carol's Blog. I also mixed in some red yeast rice powder to add color to the sausage.

Ingredients

Glutinous rice - 600 g
Dried Shiitake mushrooms - 8-10
Red shallots - 6-8
Dried shrimp - 4 TBSP
Water - 6-8 TBSP
Natural Hog Sausage Casings  - about 12 ft
Cotton thread to tie the sausage
Rice wine - 4 TBSP
Soy sauce - 2 TBSP
Salt - 1 tsp
White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Red yeast rice powder - 2 TBSP to add color

Steps

1. Soak rice in cold water for 5-6 hours, then drain the water
2. Soak dry mushrooms in cold water until soften, then dice them
3. Soak dry shrimp in cold water for 5 minutes, then drain the water.
4. Dice the red shallots.
5. In a fry pan, add 2-4 TBSP of oil, then add the red shallots, shrimp, and mushroom in sequence to stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the rice, rice wine, soy sauce, salt, white pepper powder, water, and stir fry for 5-6 minutes.

7. Use sausage attachment for Kitchen Aid to stuff the sausages. Make the sausage is loosely filled, otherwise, it will burst when steamed.
8. Use cotton thread to tie the sausage into smaller links, and use needle to poke some holes around the sausage.

9. Steam for 40 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked.