Lo Mai Gai (糯米鸡) - How to Make Chicken Sticky Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf!

It's no surprise that Asian people's comfort foods include some sort of rice component. Sticky rice is especially comforting for its soft, tender, sweet, and slightly gooey texture that makes it unique from other cousins. It may be used in your favorite Japanese maki (rolls), Thai mango and sticky rice, or Chinese dim sum dishes like Lo Mai Gai. The latter is what I am most familiar with growing up in a Chinese American household. But to be more accurate, I actually had more of the zongzhi (aka Chinese tamale) growing up whenever Paw Paw (aka grandma) made some for a special occasion. I guess you can say both are very similar with exception to the different meats, different leaves, and methods of cooking. Lo Mai Gai uses marinated dark meat chicken instead of pork belly in the zongzhi. Lotus leaves are also traditional for a more fragrant and aromatic experience that is very pronounced during and after steaming. My Paw Paw's zongzhi were usually wrapped in banana leaves and boiled for much longer, thereby creating a congealed rice texture that is much more dense if you ask me. Either way, you're in a for a hearty and comforting meal that's sure to warm you up.
Makes 6 large servings.
Sticky Rice Marinade:
2 cups sticky rice, soaked OVERNIGHT is cold water then drained
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 to 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (to your liking and saltiness)
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Combine rice with seasonings and set aside. Also prepare the lotus leaves by soaking in room temperature water for at least a few hours or overnight. Once done, prepare the chicken.
Chicken Marinade:
1-3/4 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into small chunks
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Mix all ingredients together until the chicken is thoroughly coated. Marinate for at least a few hours, or up to overnight.
For the remaining filling ingredients:
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated in boiling water until soft then thinly sliced
2-3 Chinese sausage, sliced into thin coins
2-4 tablespoons of dried, preserved shrimp
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts (I prefer them whole or you can chop)
3-4 scallions, thinly sliced
Cooking:
Once all ingredients are prepped and chicken is ready to be cooked, heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a large pan placed over high heat. Fry sausage until just golden. Add mushrooms and cook until they are also lightly brown. Lower heat to medium and add ginger and garlic. Cook until fragrant. Next add the chicken in a single layer. Brown chicken on all sides until mostly cooked through and thoroughly caramelized. Turn off the heat and add seasoned rice, dried shrimp, peanuts, and scallions. Mix until combined and begin filling the lotus leaves.
Shake off excess water from the soaked lotus leaves. Place about 1 cup of filling in the center of the leaf. Fold the top half down and the pointed bottom end up over the top. Fold the two open ends underneath itself to enclose the package. Optionally, tie the lo mai gai using kitchen twine. Steam for 30 minutes or until sticky rice is cooked through. Enjoy fresh and hot!
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[@Kaygee79]

Enjoyed watching you make this tasty chicken sticky rice recipe! Looks so good.

[@InShannonsKitchen]

Thanks! Definitely give it a try!

[@moniclan6752]

Love IT! Thank youuuu ❤️

[@InShannonsKitchen]

You’re welcome!

[@ragann8299]

You forgot to mention soak the mushroom

[@salami3975]

Hi Shannon, I’ve been binge watching your videos. Is it ok to just cook the sticky rice in a pot along with the rest of the ingredients rather than using the leaves? If so, how would you suggest I do that?

[@yenhuynh5621]

Quick question: do you wash or soak the lotus leaf? Thanks for sharing Shannon. 💕

[@InShannonsKitchen]

I soaked them for a few hours or you can also do so overnight.

[@lart80207]

I like your shortcut way to wrap the ZhongZi, I could never quite get the string wrapping right.

[@InShannonsKitchen]

Ha, me too to be honest! I find wrapping these lo mai Gai are much easier since it’s steamed rather than boiled. Doesn’t have to be ultra tight and waterproof 😉

[@lart80207]

@@InShannonsKitchen I really do miss the salted duck egg yolk in the middle. Hard to locate even the local Chinese market.

[@sallyhu5028]

Thank you for this video. The Asian market near me doesn't have lotus leaves. I found frozen banana leaves ... how are they as replacement?

[@InShannonsKitchen]

They can work though it will not have the same flavor

[@sallyhu5028]

@@InShannonsKitchen Thank you for taking the time to respond. Much appreciated. The lotus leaves seem to be only available online. And they're expensive because they're not easily available. Are the leaves reusable or are they used one time than discarded?

[@InShannonsKitchen]

I’ve never tried reusing banana leaves before but the lotus leaves definitely cannot be reused. The sticky rice makes it too messy to reuse so not sure how it may be using banana leaves

[@sallyhu5028]

@@InShannonsKitchen Thank you so much. Really appreciate your response!

[@chefavamariehappyhour]

👋 Shannon i am beyond impressed with your cooking videos and this is one south city based food blogger to another chef ava marie founder and blogger of recipes from an autistic chef and love your dim sum recipes I met you via nextdoor neighborhood social media watch page and you're amazing and maybe we can collaborate together once the epidemic is over with

[@InShannonsKitchen]

Aw thanks Chef! Your work is very inspiring as well 👍

[@bklynazn13]

Can banana leaves work if I cant find lotus leaves?

[@InShannonsKitchen]

Yes

[@bklynazn13]

Thank you