The unexpected complexity behind steaming a fuckton of sweet rice

 Ugh.

So I made another batch of chhyang a couple of days ago. I was basically forced to begin that because I got super duper ambitious and got 10lbs of rice (actually affordable and reasonably-priced from Hau Hau market this time around) soaking on Saturday. After two days of a good soak, it was starting to potentially get moldy, so I needed to get with starting the chhang batch right away or else...

The trouble was that doing small batches would take me an entire day, and with yoga and everything else going on, I don't have full days of freedom anymore, and nor should anyone tbqh. So I had to steam the rice in large batch. But the steaming rice was clogging on the holes of the cloth put to prevent rice grains from falling, and gelling up early on, stopping steam from reaching up and cooking the rest of the rice. So the bottom of the steamer would be extra-cooked, the top still dry.

I tried reducing batch sizes, regularly cleaning the cloth, reducing water level, increasing water level, reducing heat, increasing heat, removing the cloth etcetera but nothing helped. In the end I had to boil the largest batch of rice ever, and it ended up being a giant gloop that was then ladled into the bottles. 

I realize my mistake was in over soaking the rice grains and not cleaning them beforehand, but even then, is it possible the rice brand matters? Plus the cleaning of this goddamn thing takes forever as everything is caked in layer of dried previously glue-like rice, ugh.

What a hassle this has become on this specific instance. Of course the rewards are way worth it, but surely there are parts of the project that can be made easier?