Lo Mai Gai

Lo Mai Gai — steamed lotus leaf parcels stuffed with glutinous rice, chicken, Chinese sausage, dried shrimp, and mushrooms — is one of the most beloved dim sum dishes of Cantonese cuisine. Each parcel is unwrapped at the table to release a cloud of fragrant steam carrying the perfume of lotus leaf, soy, and sesame oil. The dish has been served in Hong Kong teahouses since at least the 1920s.

Serves: 4 (2 parcels each)

Ingredients

• 400g (2 cups) glutinous rice, soaked for 4 hours
• 8 dried lotus leaves, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
• 300g (10 oz) boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2cm pieces
• 2 Chinese sausages (lap cheong), sliced diagonally
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and sliced
• 30g (1 oz) dried shrimp, soaked and roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp (30ml) oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp (15ml) soy sauce
• 1 tsp (5ml) sesame oil
• 1 tsp (5g) sugar
• 1 tbsp (15ml) Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tsp (5g) cornflour
• 2 tbsp (30ml) vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

1. Steam soaked glutinous rice over high heat for 25 minutes until just cooked through but still slightly firm. Season with 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp sesame oil; stir through.
2. Marinate chicken with oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, 1 tsp soy sauce, sugar, and cornflour for 20 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a wok. Stir-fry garlic for 30 seconds. Add chicken and stir-fry 4–5 minutes until just cooked. Add mushrooms and dried shrimp; toss for 2 minutes more.
4. Lay out a soaked lotus leaf (two halves overlapping). Place 3 heaped tablespoons of rice in the centre, spreading to a rough rectangle. Top with a spoonful of filling and slices of lap cheong. Cover with more rice to enclose the filling.
5. Fold the lotus leaf over to form a neat parcel. Secure with kitchen twine.
6. Steam parcels in a bamboo steamer over vigorously boiling water for 30–35 minutes.
7. Serve wrapped — each diner unwraps their own parcel at the table.

Cook's Notes: The lotus leaf perfumes the rice as it steams — do not skip this ingredient. Soaking the glutinous rice is essential; under-soaked rice will not cook through in the parcel. Lo mai gai can be assembled a day ahead and refrigerated before the final steam — add 5 minutes to the cooking time.