Sticky Rice and Chestnut Dressing

Name: Sticky Rice and Chestnut Dressing
Yield: makes about 8 cups, to serve 6 to 8 as a side dish
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups short-grain sticky rice; 1 1/2 cups shelled and peeled chestnuts (3/4 pound unpeeled), halved lengthwise (see Note); 1 tablespoon unsalted butter; 5 sprigs cilantro; 2 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth, or as needed; 1 teaspoon salt; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped; 1 clove garlic, minced; Liver from the bird, yellowish membranes trimmed and chopped (optional); 1/2 pound ground pork, coarsely chopped to loosen; 8 dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted (page 332), trimmed, and chopped; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or generous 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme; 3 tablespoons Cognac; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

December 14, 2011

When Vietnamese cooks stuff fowl for roasting, the dressing is often made with sticky rice. These preparations, which bridge Vietnamese and French culinary traditions, commonly include lotus seeds, too. My family prefers the flavor of chestnuts, however, which we simmer in chicken stock, butter, and cilantro. The presence of shiitake mushrooms and Cognac in this recipe illustrates yet another marriage of East and West. This dressing is good with roast turkey, chicken, game hens, and goose. While you may stuff the birds, I find baking the dressing separately is easier, plus the grains on the bottom form a tasty crust. Shelling and peeling chestnuts is time-consuming, but this recipe doesn’t require many of them. For guidance on buying and peeling the nuts, see the accompanying Note.

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