Lo Mai Gai

Ingredients

• 400g glutinous rice
• 4 dried lotus leaves
• 8 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 400g boneless chicken thigh
• 2 Chinese sausages (lap cheong)
• 2 salted duck egg yolks, halved
• 2 tbsp dried shrimp
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 3 tbsp groundnut oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp fine salt

Before you cook

• Cover the glutinous rice with cold water and soak it for at least 4 hours or overnight, then drain it well.
• Soak the lotus leaves in a sink of hot water for 1 hour until pliable, then scrub both sides and cut off the hard central stem.
• Soak the shiitake in hot water for 40 minutes, squeeze them out over the bowl and keep 150ml of the soaking liquid.
• Soak the dried shrimp in warm water for 15 minutes and drain them.
• Quarter the mushroom caps.
• Cut the chicken into 2cm chunks and toss with the oyster sauce, light soy, dark soy, Shaoxing wine, sugar, sesame oil, white pepper and cornflour.
• Slice the Chinese sausages on the diagonal.
• Toss the drained rice with the half teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of the groundnut oil.

Steps

1. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of groundnut oil in a wok over medium heat.
2. Fry the garlic, ginger and drained dried shrimp for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Add the mushrooms and sausage slices and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
4. Tip in the marinated chicken and stir-fry for 4 minutes, until the outside is sealed but the centre is still pink.
5. Pour in the reserved mushroom soaking liquid and simmer for 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken.
6. Take the pan off the heat and let the filling cool for 15 minutes.
7. Lay a soaked lotus leaf on the counter, shiny side down.
8. Spread a quarter of the rice into a rough 15cm square in the centre of the leaf, then press a hollow into the middle.
9. Spoon a quarter of the chicken filling into the hollow and lay half a salted egg yolk on top.
10. Draw the rice up over the filling to enclose it completely, then fold the leaf over into a tight rectangular parcel and tie it with kitchen string.
11. Repeat with the remaining leaves, rice and filling.
12. Set the parcels seam side down in a steamer over hard-boiling water.
13. Steam for 60 minutes, topping up the water twice so the pan never runs dry.
14. Rest the parcels for 5 minutes, then cut the string and open each one at the table so the steam and lotus scent escape all at once.