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    Home » Asian Recipes for Summer

    Published: Dec 21, 2022 · Modified: Nov 30, 2023 by Zen · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Chinese Pumpkin Rice (Rice Cooker)

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    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Chinese Pumpkin rice is a super easy and flavorful rice cooker recipe: the soft pumpkin cubes melt in your mouth, contrasting with the firm bite of the white rice grains. Moreover, it only takes 10 minutes to prepare and the rest of the work is up to your rice cooker!

    A scoop of Chinese pumpkin rice with some red chili, dried shrimp and coriander.
    Jump to:
    • ⭐ Why This Recipe is a Star
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 📖 Variations & Substitutes
    • 🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
    • 🥡 How to Store
    • 🥗 Other Pumpkin Recipes
    • Chinese Pumpkin Rice
    • 💬 Comments

    ⭐ Why This Recipe is a Star

    1. Chinese Pumpkin Rice is super easy to make: it takes less than 10 minutes to stir fry the dried shrimp, garlic and rice, before everything is transferred to the rice cooker which does all the work!
    2. It's delicious and nutritious: pumpkin is good for you and it basically dissolves in your mouth- like lava cake!- after cooking.
    3. Versatile: it can be made in a rice cooker or on the stovetop! You can also make it more filling by adding diced chicken and other ingredients. It also goes well with a range of side dishes such as asian pickled cucumbers and Chinese ginseng soup!

    Note: a pumpkin dish, such as this pumpkin glutinous rice cake is often on the Chinese New Year Table (to symbolise an outstanding year ahead.) For more Chinese pumpkin recipes, click here.

    🥘 Ingredients

    You will only need a few simple ingredients:

    • pumpkin: cut into cubes. You can leave the skin on if you want but will need to wash it super well. For a more attractive golden color, use Japanese pumpkin or kabocha squash.
    • Rice: I use white Jasmine long grain rice. If substituting with brown, the rice will take longer to cook. if you don't want your pumpkin too mushy, you can add it halfway through the cooking process. You can learn more about various rice recipes here.
    • Dried shrimp (heibi): soak in warm water to soften before cooking. I actually recommend stir-frying double the amount specified in my recipe till crisp, then plating half to garnish the cooked pumpkin rice with. The crispy dried shrimp will provide a delicious contrast in texture to the melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin cubes and the firm white rice.
    • Fresh garlic
    • Light and dark soy sauces: Normally I leave the brand of soy sauce up to the reader, but as we need the right level of salinity here, note that I used Lee Kum for all 3 sauces in this recipe. You can substitute with other brands, but it will be saltier/ less salty than my version. If bland, add a bit of salt after the rice has been cooked then mix well, and remember to increase the amount of soy sauce for the next time you cook this. If too salty, use a low-sodium soy sauce or decrease to amount used to 1 Tablespoon.
    • Oyster sauce
    • Seasoning such as white sugar and white pepper: I find the amount of salt in this recipe perfect for me without adding salt but everyone has different tastebuds! (See Light and Dark Soy Sauces for what to do.)

    📖 Variations & Substitutes

    • With Chicken: you can add cubed chicken thigh to the rice cooker to cook with the pumpkin and rice. (For a pure Chicken Rice Cooker recipe or a Turmeric Rice Cooker Recipe, click here.) If so, I recommend marinating the chicken in the oyster and soy sauces along with the pepper and sugar before adding to the rice cooker. (No need to add anymore sauce after.) You can also use chicken breast if you like, but it will be drier and less flavorful than the dark meat.
    • With crabmeat: Seafood cooks quickly and doesn't taste good when overcooked, so I recommend using pre-cooked crab and stirring that into the rice cooker a few minutes before the rice is done. (You basically just want to warm it up!)

    🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions

    Minced garlic and dried shrimp being stir fried in a pan.

    1a. Drain the dried shrimp and keep the soaking water to cook the rice.

    1b. Pan fry the dried shrimp in a bit of oil till nice and crisp. If you made extra, place it on some paper towels to soak up extra oil, for use as a rice garnish later.

    1c. Add the minced garlic to the same pan as the remaining shrimps and stir fry over a low fire till fragrant. (Garlic burns easily.)

    White rice grains being fried with garlic and Chinese dried prawns.

    2. Add in the washed rice. Be careful as the oil will splutter. Turn up the fire to medium high then stir fry quickly to briefly toast the grains.

    Note: the pot of some cookers may be usable on induction stoves. If so, you can do Steps 1 and 2 in the rice cooker pot and make it a 1-pot recipe!

    Adding oyster sauce to pumpkin and rice in a rice cooker.

    3. Transfer everything to the rice cooker pot. Add the prawn soaking water and add more (regular) water till the first line on your index finger. (Alternatively, follow the guideline on the rice cooker pot for the amount of water to add.)

    3b. Add the pumpkin cubes to the pot, followed by the sauces. The dark soy and oyster will stick to the spoon so you can "wash" it in the water!

    Seasoning the uncooked pumpkin rice in a rice cooker pot.

    4a. Add the white sugar and pepper, then press the button to start the cooking process! 

    4b. Once the rice cooker indicates that it has finished cooking, let the rice stand for another 5 minutes, before uncovering, gently fluffing up and serving.

    Cooked Chinese pumpkin rice in the rice cooker.
    This is what the rice looks like before fluffing.

    🥡 How to Store

    Extras can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 1-2 days. It can be heated up in the microwave or steamed.

    Do pay attention to food safety and not leave it at room temperature for more than 1-2 hours (as leftover rice can give one bad food poisoning.) For more info and ways to use leftover rice, click here.

    Close-up of a bowl of brown coloured rice with pumpkin cubes, red chili, coriander and dried prawns.

    🥗 Other Pumpkin Recipes

    • A plate of jasmine rice and chicken pumpkin curry with coriander.
      Pumpkin Chicken Curry Recipe
    • A hand holding Chinese pumpkin soup served in a small pumpkin and white bowl.
      Chinese Pumpkin Soup with Carrots
    • Many fried orange pancakes with sesame seeds in a bowl on baking paper.
      Chinese Pumpkin Cake
    • A bowl of bright orange leftover pumpkin puree Chinese porridge jook.
      Easy Chinese Pumpkin Porridge with Fish

    Enjoyed this easy Chinese Pumpkin Rice Recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below! If you REALLY liked this pumpkin dish, please consider supporting it by buying me a coffee! 🙂 (No obligation though!) Thank you and have a great day!

    Close-up of a bowl of brown coloured rice with pumpkin cubes, red chili, coriander and dried prawns.

    Chinese Pumpkin Rice

    Zen
    This Chinese Pumpkin rice is a super easy and flavorful rice cooker recipe: the soft pumpkin cubes melt in your mouth, contrasting with the firm bite of the white rice grains. Moreover, it only takes 10 minutes to prepare and the rest of the work is up to your rice cooker!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Course Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine Chinese
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 123 kcal

    Equipment

    • Pot/ pan and spatula
    • Rice cooker You can also cook the rice over the stove in the same pot that you sautéed the garlic in but I have yet to test this version for the time taken. If so, remember to use a pot with a cover.

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 Tablespoons dried shrimp soaked in warm water. Also known as Udang Kering. You can double the amount if you want to use some as a topping for the rice.
    • 5 cloves garlic peeled and minced
    • 1 Cup white rice raw, washed. If substituting with brown rice, the rice will take longer to cook. if you don't want your pumpkin too mushy, you can add it halfway through the cooking process
    • 1½ Cups pumpkin cut into ½ inch cubes (150g). Use Japanese Kabocha for a more attractive golden color.
    • 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
    • 1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce
    • 1½-2 Tablespoons light soy sauce Normally I leave the brand of soy sauce up to the reader, but as we need the right level of salinity here, note that I used Lee Kum for all 3 sauces in this recipe. You can substitute with other brands, but it will be saltier/ less salty than my version. If bland, add a bit of salt after the rice has been cooked then mix well, and remember to increase the amount of soy sauce for the next time you cook this. If too salty, use a low-sodium soy sauce or decrease to amount used to 1 Tablespoon.
    • 1 teaspoon white sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon white pepper Do not substitute with black pepper. Omit if unavailable.

    Instructions
     

    • Drain the dried shrimp and keep the soaking water to cook the rice.
    • Pan fry the dried shrimp in a bit of oil till nice and crisp. If you made extra, place it on some paper towels to soak up extra oil, for use as a rice garnish later.
      Note: the pot of some cookers may be usable on induction stoves. If so, you can do this in the rice cooker pot and make it a 1-pot recipe!
    • Add the minced garlic to the same pan as the remaining shrimps and stir fry over a low fire till fragrant. (Garlic burns easily.)
    • Add in the washed rice. Be careful as the oil will splutter. Turn up the fire to medium high then stir fry quickly to briefly toast the grains.
    • Transfer everything to the rice cooker pot. Add the prawn soaking water and add more (regular) water till the first line on your index finger.
      Note: Alternatively, follow the guideline on the rice cooker pot for the amount of water to add.
    • Add the pumpkin cubes to the pot, followed by the sauces. Add the white sugar and pepper, then press the button to start the cooking process! 
      Note: The dark soy and oyster will stick to the spoon so you can "wash" it in the water!
    • Once the rice cooker indicates that it has finished cooking, let the rice stand for another 5 minutes, before uncovering, gently fluffing up and serving.

    Notes

    The serving size of 4 people is based on serving this Chinese rice with side dishes, such as soy sauce chicken or braised wings.
    You can vary this dish by adding crab meat or cubed chicken meat. Marinade the meat in the sauces and seasoning specified the recipe for a few hours, then add to the rice cooker with the pumpkin and cook.
    Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its accuracy.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 123kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 9gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 892mgPotassium: 278mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 178IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 1mg
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    Greedygirlgourmet eating 2 sandwiches in Scotland

    Hi I'm Zhen also known as GGG! I couldn't boil water till I was 18! However, I love creating community and nurturing people, so when I lived abroad (in St. Andrews then London) for 11 years, I started hosting regular parties for friends and that's how I started cooking. (Couldn't cook before that!) I even organised a supper club for charity, which strangers came to! Learning to cook late, I make sure my recipes go into enough detail for those new to Asian cuisine or who love a test kitchen approach to cooking!

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