Lo mai gai (糯米雞) is a classic dim sum dish like congee with pork and century egg, turnip cake and custard buns that served in the morning for breakfast among Chinese dim sum restaurants. Now, you can make this simple and tasty dim sum, sticky rice chicken in lotus leaf, at home. 
What is lo mai gai (糯米雞)?
Lo mai gai (糯米雞) is glutinous rice and chicken filling wrap in a lotus leaf. In general, lo mai gai is larger than jan jyu gai (珍珠雞). They are the same thing, but just different in sizes. Therefore, it named them differently.
What’s inside of lo mai gai (糯米雞)?
Generally, lo mai gai contains glutinous rice filled with chicken, Chinese mushrooms, Chinese sausage, dried shrimp or salted egg. The rice and fillings are wrapped in a dried lotus leaf and steamed them.
In this recipe, I mainly used chicken, Chinese mushrooms, sausage and dried shrimp. However, you can use other ingredients such as dried scallops and salty egg yolk depends on what you like to eat in the lo mai gai.
What is different between lo mai gai (糯米雞) and zong (糭) ?
In fact, the ingredients are quite similar. But, the different between zong (糭) and lo mai gai (糯米雞) is zong use bamboo leaves and boiled in water. And, you often see zong wrapped and tightened by a string.
On the other hand, lo mai gai is wrapped by lotus leaves without a string and steam in bamboo basket . Then, it serves as dim sum item for breakfast or lunch in Chinese dim sum restaurants.
Cooking tips for making glutinous rice with chicken in lotus leaf:
Dried mushrooms:
- Wash and soak the dried Chinese mushrooms few hours before. The best to soak it for 4-6 hours until it’s soft. Normally, I soak dried Chinese mushrooms the night before I need to cook them.
Lotus leaves:
- Wash and soak the lotus leaves for around 45 minutes to an hour until it’s soft enough for wrapping.
Rice:
- Use instant pot pressure cooker to cook the glutinous rice because it’s faster and easier.
Wrap and steam:
- Brush some vegetable oil on the leaves before wrapping the glutinous rice and chicken fillings, so it can prevent the rice stick on the lotus leaves.
- Steam them in a bamboo basket for 15-20 minuets before serving. The aroma of lotus leaves will come out after steaming the lo mai gai.
FAQs:
How do you eat lo mai gai?
The best to eat lo mai gai is when they are hot and straight out from a steamer. Then, unwrap the lotus leaf and eat the glutinous rice with chicken fillings together.
What to do with leftover?
Freeze or refrigerate them. When you freeze them, it will last longer (at least couple months).
How do you reheat lo mai gai?
Normally, I use an instant pot add a cup of water and a rack manual for 5 minutes, especially they are straight out from freezer. Or, you can use top stove to steam it for 20-30 minuets.
Instructions for how to make lo mai gai:
- Wash and soak the lotus leaves in water for around 45 minutes to an hour until it’s soft.
- Wash and soak the dried Chinese mushrooms for 4-6 hours until it’s soft. (Normally, I soak them the night before I need to cook them)
3. Soak dried small shrimp for 10-15 minutes. Then, drain the water and set a side.
4. When the mushrooms is soft, slice them into strips.
5. Cut Chinese sausage into slices
6. Cut chicken thighs into strips
7. In a bowl, add chicken, oyster sauce 2 tablespoons, soy sauce 1 tablespoon, dark soy sauce 1 tablespoon, salt 1/4 teaspoon, garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon, white pepper 1/8 teaspoon and sugar 1/2 teaspoon. Then, mix it well and let’s marinated for 15-20 minutes.
8. At the same time, cook glutinous rice in a pressure cooker instant pot, add some water (around 1 cup) and a rack.
9. Put a bowl into the instant pot and add 3 cup of washed and well drained glutinous rice and 2 cups of water. Remember to level the rice and make sure the water cover every rice.
10. Close the lid and vent, then manual for 30 minutes and natural release.
11. While waiting for glutinous rice, start cooking the filling. Pour 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil into a non-stick pan turn on medium high fire, add soaked dried small shrimp, Chinese sausage and mushrooms. Stir fried them for a minute or two.
12. After that, add the marinated chicken stir fried them, add 1/2 cup of water stir them little bit and cover with a lid and let it cook for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked.
13. Then, add another 1/2 cup of water stir fried and pour the corn starch mixture (corn starch 2 teaspoons and water 2 teaspoons). Keep stir frying until the sauce is little thicken. Now, everything is ready for wrapping lo mai gai.
14. Brush some vegetable oil on lotus leaves to prevent the glutinous rice stick on the leaf.
15. Put a layer of cooked glutinous rice on the lotus leaf like a rectangle shape.
16. Scoop some filling on the cooked glutinous rice. Personally, I like to add more filling.
17. Next, put the other layer of cooked glutinous rice on top of the filling. Then, fold it. You can see the video for how to fold them.
18. After that, put lo mai gai into a bamboo basket and steam them over the top stove for 15-20 minutes, so the aroma of lotus leaves will come out. Besides, you can use instant pot to steam them as well.
19. When you have too many left, I suggest to freeze or refrigerate them. Or, you can warm them up in an instant pot with a rack and water manual for 5 minutes and natural release if they are from freezer.
Enjoy this yummy homemade dim sum lo mai gai (糯米雞) glutinous rice chicken lotus wrap and try this turnip cake recipe too!
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LO MAI GAI (糯米雞)
Ingredients
This amount yield around 8 lo mai gai (糯米雞)
- 1/2 cup Dried small shrimp
- 2 links Chinese sausage
- 5 pieces Dried Chinese mushrooms
- 2 pieces Chicken thighs
- 8-9 Dried lotus leaves (in cause some are broken)
- 1 cup Water (add 1/2 cup first and 1/2 cup later when cooking the filling)
- 2 teaspoons Vegetable oil (1 teaspoon for stir fried Chinese sausage, shrimp, mushroom and chicken, 1 teaspoon for brushing lotus leaves)
THICKEN SAUCE:
- 2 teaspoons Corn starch
- 2 teaspoons Water
COOK GLUTINOUS RICE:
- 3 cups Glutinous rice
- 2 cups Water
CHICKEN MARINATED SAUCE:
- 2 tablespoons Oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dark soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon White pepper
Instructions
- Wash and soak the dried lotus leaves in water for around 45 minutes to an hour until it’s soft.
- Wash and soak the dried Chinese mushrooms for 4-6 hours until it’s soft. (Normally, I soak them the night before I need to cook them)
- Soak dried small shrimp for 10-15 minutes. Then, drain the water and set a side.
- When the mushrooms is soft, slice them into strips.
- Cut Chinese sausage into slices
- Cut chicken thighs into strips
- Marinated chicken in a bowl add oyster sauce 2 tablespoons, soy sauce 1 tablespoon, dark soy sauce 1 tablespoon, salt 1/4 teaspoon, garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon, white pepper 1/8 teaspoon, and sugar 1/2 teaspoon. Then, mix it wel and let’s marinated for 15-20 minutes.
- At the same time, cook glutinous rice in a pressure cooker instant pot, add some water (around 1 cup) and a rack.
- Put a bowl into the instant pot and add 3 cup of glutinous rice and 2 cups of water. Remember to level the rice and make sure the water cover every rice.
- Close the lid and vent, then manual for 30 minutes and natural release.
- While waiting for glutinous rice, start cooking the filling. Pour 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil into a non-stick pan turn on medium high fire, add soaked dried small shrimp, Chinese sausage and mushrooms. Stir fried them for a minute or two.
- After that, add the marinated chicken stir fried them, add 1/2 cup of water stir them little bit and cover with a lid and let it cook for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked.
- Then, add another 1/2 cup of water stir fried and pour the corn starch mixture (corn starch 2 teaspoons and water 2 teaspoons). Keep stir frying until the sauce is little thicken. Now, everything is ready for wrapping lo mai gai.
- Brush some vegetable oil on lotus leaves to prevent the glutinous rice stick on the leaf.
- Put a layer of cooked glutinous rice on the lotus leaf like a rectangle shape.
- Scoop some filling on the cooked glutinous rice . Personally, I like more filling and I added more.
- Next, put the other layer of cooked glutinous rice on top of the filling. Then, fold it. You can see the video for how to fold them.
- After that, put lo mai gai into a bamboo basket and steam them over the top stove for 15-20 minutes, so the aroma of lotus leaves will come out. Besides, you can use instant pot to steam them as well.
- When you have too many left, I suggest to freeze or refrigerate them. Or, you can warm them up in an instant pot with a rack and water manual for 5 minutes and natural release if they are from freezer.
- Enjoy this dim sum lo mai gai (糯米雞) glutinous rice chicken lotus wrap at home!
Video
Notes
Cooking tips for making lo mai gai (糯米雞):
Dried mushrooms:
- Wash and soak the dried Chinese mushrooms few hours before. The best to soak it for 4-6 hours until it’s soft. Normally, I soak dried Chinese mushrooms the night before I need to cook them.
Lotus leaves:
- Wash and soak the lotus leaves for around 45 minutes to an hour until it's soft enough for wrapping.
Rice:
- Use instant pot pressure cooker to cook the glutinous rice because it’s faster and easier.
Wrap and steam:
- Brush some vegetable oil on the leaves before wrapping the glutinous rice and chicken fillings, so it can prevent the rice stick on the lotus leaves.
- Steam them in a bamboo basket for 15-20 minuets before serving. The aroma of lotus leaves will come out after steaming the lo mai gai.
Nutrition