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Prep time
2 hours
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Cook time
2 hours
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Serves
6
Author Notes
From the kitchen of Lucas Sin, this recipe for Lo Mai Gai is delicious and well-worth the effort. Lucas swears by using a rice cooker but if you don’t have one, we found the perfect solution: an Instant Pot. To make sticky rice using an Instant Pot, place a steamer basket in the pot with 1 cup of water and rice. Cook the rice for 12 minutes, then let it release pressure naturally for 12 minutes. Remove the lid, put a clean towel between the lid and the pot, and let the rice sit for 15 minutes. —Lucas Sin
Watch This Recipe
Lo Mai Gai (Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf)
Ingredients
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Rice
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2 cups
sticky rice (sweet rice), soaked for at least 2 hours up to overnight
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1 tablespoon
sweet soy sauce
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1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
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Chicken
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1
large boneless skinless chicken thigh, cut into 1/2” chunks
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1/2 tablespoon
light soy sauce
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1/2 tablespoon
oyster sauce
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1/2 tablespoon
Shaoxing wine
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1 pinch
ground white pepper
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1/2"
knob (1 Tbsp) fresh ginger, peeled and very finely chopped
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Sauce
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1 tablespoon
oyster sauce
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1 tablespoon
light soy sauce
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1 teaspoon
kosher salt
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1 teaspoon
granulated sugar
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1/2 cup
water
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Filling
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1 teaspoon
neutral oil, such as canola
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1/4 pound
pork belly, diced small
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2
medium (½ cup) shallots, chopped
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12
shiitake mushrooms, soaked for at least 1 hour, up to overnight; half sliced thinly, half left whole or cut in large thumb-sized pieces
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1 tablespoon
dried shrimp, soaked for at least 30 minutes
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1
chinese sausage, remove casing and sliced on a bias
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1 tablespoon
potato starch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
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Wrapping
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6 pieces
lotus leaves, soaked for at least 2 hours or up to overnight
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1
salted egg yolk
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Thinly sliced scallions, for serving
Directions
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Drain soaked rice. First, cook the sticky rice. The easiest way to do this is in a rice cooker on the white rice setting with 1½ cup water. Let the cooked rice sit for 15 minutes. Season with sweetened soy sauce and salt, folding carefully with a spatula to combine and not breaking up the rice too much. Set aside.
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Marinate the diced chicken with soy sauce, white pepper, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, and ginger, working and squeezing the aromatics into the meat. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
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Make the filling: In a small bowl, whisk together oyster sauce, light soy sauce, salt, sugar, and water until salt and sugar dissolve. Over high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil to a wok or 10” cast-iron skillet. When the wok is smoking slightly, add the pork belly. Stir-fry until it begins to brown and the fat begins to render out, 3–4 minutes. Add shallots, ginger, sliced mushrooms, dried shrimp, and half the Chinese sausage. Cook until aromatic, 1-2 minutes. Push pork mixture to one side of the wok. Add chicken and marinade to the other side of the wok or skillet and cook until browned, 3-4 minutes. Add the seasoning sauce and cook until chicken is barely tender, about 2 minutes. Thicken with potato starch slurry until the sauce clings to the meat, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
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Prepare the lotus leaves after they’re soaked by cutting off the stiff end and cutting each lotus leaf into 4 equal pieces. In a clean sink, pour boiling water over them to quickly “blanch” and wilt the leaves.
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To wrap, place two triangles of leaves together with the wider ends of the triangle overlapping vertically; pat dry with a paper towel. Place ¼ cup of rice in the center of the leaves in a small rectangle. Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling into the center. Add 1 slice of Chinese sausage and ½ mushroom. Cover with another layer of sticky rice, about ¼ cup. Wrap by bringing the sides together tightly and rolling.
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Arrange the lo mai gai in single layers in a bamboo steamer. Steam the wrapped lo mai gai for 20 minutes and serve warm, optionally with grated salted egg yolk and scallions.
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