Dim Sum. One of those all-is-right-with-the-world meals, perfect for a weekend morning (also there’s totally this smokin’ hot seating host at the local place we go to in NJ, so there’s that. We suspect he’s the owner’s son, and I’ll probably be married to him at some point. Ha.).
Every time our cousins visit from Buffalo, we have dim sum on the last day of their visit, and we ogle the seating host have a lovely meal before they head home. There are so many awesome little things that we always order, and Lo Mai Gai (cantonese), or steamed sticky rice…lotus…leaf…chicken…thingies is one of them.
(I really actually have no idea what they’re supposed to be called in English, hence the incredibly long name of this post).
If you’re looking for the little domes of rice you also see on the dim sum carts moving by your table, then check out our Sticky Rice with Chinese Sausage recipe!
This dim sum sticky rice making stuff does take some time, but you can make a big batch of these wraps, steam them, and freeze them for later. Another tip: you don’t actually have to use lotus leaves.
If you can get them, definitely use them. They add an interesting flavor to the rice as it steams. But we discovered that parchment paper also works really well for this.
Also check out our Roast Chicken w/ Sticky Rice, which is my favorite thing ever. Instead of whole lotus leaves or parchment paper, the rice gets wrapped in a chicken thigh. An appropriate response would be to go to the store, buy a pack of chicken thighs, and make it for dinner tonight.
Recipe Instructions
In a medium bowl, stir together the marinade ingredients (light soy sauce, ground white pepper, oyster sauce, five-spice powder, finely chopped ginger, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch) and add the chicken pieces.
Stir well and refrigerate. Soak the sticky (sweet) rice for 2 hours, and drain.
In a large bowl, mix the soaked rice with 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce. Set aside.
Over high heat, add 2 tablespoons oil to your wok. When the wok is smoking slightly, add half the shiitake mushrooms.
Stir-fry until they’re browned, tender, and most of the moisture has evaporated. Remove from the wok and set aside.
Do the same with the second half of the mushrooms. (Cooking the mushrooms in 2 batches prevents them from getting soggy). Set all the mushrooms aside.
Heat your wok over high heat again with a couple tablespoons oil. Brown the chicken. Add the scallions.
Stir-fry for a minute or so.
Mix in the mushrooms and salt. Stir-fry for a couple minutes to let the flavors meld together.
Mix this chicken mixture with the soaked rice. Now you’re ready to wrap them in the lotus leaves! Brush a small section on one end of each of your 10 leaf halves with a thin layer of oil.
Put about ¾ cup of the mixture on the oiled area.
Wrap each into a rectangle.
Tie tightly with kitchen string.
Continue assembling until all your filling is used up.
Parchment paper also works really well for this if you can’t find the lotus leaves.
Steam for about 90 minutes.
Serve your Lo Mai Gai dim sum sticky rice hot out of the steamer!
You can serve your dim sum sticky rice with a little chili oil or allow them to cool, place into freezer bags, and freeze for later! When you’re ready to eat them, just steam them right out of the freezer for about 30 minutes.
Dim Sum Sticky Rice Lotus Leaf Wraps (Lo Mai Gai)
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
- 1 tablespoon ginger (very finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
You'll also need:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut into small chunks)
- 4 cups sticky rice (sweet rice)
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- oil (for cooking)
- 6 cups mushrooms (we used shiitake and oyster mushrooms; coarsely chopped)
- 3 cups scallion (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 5 whole lotus leaves (soaked in warm water for 1 hour, rinsed, stems trimmed, and cut in half––or parchment paper)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together the marinade ingredients and add the chicken pieces. Stir well and refrigerate. Soak the sticky rice for 2 hours, drain, and mix with 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce. Set aside.
- Over high heat, add 2 tablespoons oil to your wok. When the wok is smoking slightly, add half the mushrooms and stir-fry until they’re browned, tender, and most of the moisture has evaporated. Remove from the wok and set aside. Do the same with the second half of the mushrooms. (Cooking the mushrooms in 2 batches prevents them from getting soggy). Set all the mushrooms aside.
- Heat your wok over high heat again with a couple tablespoons oil. Brown the chicken. Mix in the mushrooms, scallions, and salt. Stir-fry for a couple minutes to let the flavors meld together.
- Mix this chicken mixture with the soaked rice. Now you’re ready to wrap them in the lotus leaves. Brush a small section on one end of each leaf lightly with oil. Put about ¾ cup of the mixture on the oiled area. Wrap each into a rectangle, tie with kitchen string, and steam for about 90 minutes.
- You can serve with a little chili oil or allow them to cool, place into freezer bags, and freeze for later! When you’re ready to eat them, just steam them right out of the freezer for about 30 minutes.
Hello. I need to eliminate the mushrooms and no dried shrimp. What else can I add? Many thanks.
Hi Susan, that leaves you with chicken and rice. Not a bad combo just as they are. :-)
I made these today and I am so pleasantly surprised at how well they turned out and how easy it was. It was a lot of work but not difficult. My oldest loves sticky rice in lotus leaves but it’s not always practical to get to the Asian market and there they sell them frozen. Homemade and fresh out of the steamer was so delicious!! We have a few to freeze so the next time a craving hits, we will have them on hand. I used half the chicken and some Chinese sausage and dried shrimp from your other sticky rice recipe and it worked out so well. Thank you for the recipe and your wonderfully clear instructions!
That’s so wonderful, Tricia. Thank you for trying our recipes :-)
Hi Sarah, it looks delicious! I am about to try the recipe but struggling a little with the conversion of 6 cups of mushrooms in grams. What would it look like approximately in normal sized shiitake mushrooms or grams please?
Thanks!
Hi Stacey, I can’t be exactly sure, but I think that 6 cups of chopped shiitake mushrooms would weigh about 450g, or 1 pound. I’ll have to weigh them next time I make this recipe.
Thank you Sarah. One last question, what would be the difference if I used dried shiitake mushrooms instead of fresh? Would it change the taste/texture? Fresh Shiitake mushrooms are hard to come by where I live.
You can definitely use dried shiitake mushrooms, Stacey.
HI Sarah. I’m really enjoying your families blog and recipes. Thank you all so much! I’ve made a few recipes with success so far. All delicious too. I have a question about sweet rice. In this recipe you say to only soak for 2 hours, then steam for 90 minutes. In your post on how to make sticky rice (foolproof) you say to soak for 6-24 hours, then steam for 25 to 30 minutes. If I wanted to soak my rice for the Lotus leaf wraps overnight, would that be ok? (I want to make this tomorrow morning.) Would I still have to steam for 90 minutes or should I reduce that time.
Thanks!
Hi Heather, you can definitely soak the rice overnight. As for the steaming time, it really depends on how you like the texture of the rice. You can have a look at 60 minute mark, and then take it from there :-)
I just made it! Fabulous
That’s great, Beth, so glad you liked it.
Asian food is one of my favorite foods. I love everything I see. Where I live there is not one good Asian restaurant. I used to live near San Francisco and Oakland China towns. So I am spoiled when it comes to real authentic flavors from China. Your recipes are giving me back the flavors I love so much. Thank you.
You are so welcome, Carol, happy wokking :-)
The only lotus leaves I’ve been able to find are enormous, easily 2 feet or more across. They’ve also got lots of holes in them. Do lotus leaves come in smaller sizes? My local grocery only had this one kind. I could easily cut them in quarters for this. Just curious if I accidentally bought the wrong kind.
Hi Kalia, the lotus leaves I buy in the states are huge too. Just know that you can trim them to the size you want.
I’ve had this dish at Chinese restaurants where there’s also ground pork in it and it’s very tasty. Would you suggest adding ground pork to marinate together with the chicken?
You sure can, Alice.
Hi! I live in India, I have access to Thai sticky rice, is this okay to use? Thanks in advance, and I hope you all have a wonderful 2021 xx
Yes, you can.