Lo Mai Gai In a Bowl ( steamed sticky rice)

Glutinous rice are steamed only once in this recipe, texture of the grain is perfect, not soggy nor dry.
Sauces were well-balanced with the rice, all absorbed fully into the rice during the frying process.

Make lots if you like since they can be frozen so well, just steam it up again to eat. Steaming helps to fluff up the hardened rice again, forget about using a microwave, trust me :)

Recipe and inspiration from here 


Ingredients ( for appoximate 10 rice bowl rice)
Glutinous rice  1 kg (soaked overnight, cleaned and drained well)
Garlic   2 tbsp (minced)
Shallot  12 pips ( minced)
Chicken thighs about 750g ( cut into small pieces)
A few dried mushrooms  ( soaked, cleaned, cut into fine small pieces)
Chinese sausages ( 3 or 4 )



(A)Marinating chicken and mushroom 
Oyster sauce  2 tbps
Sesame oil  1 tsp
Dark soy sauce  2 tsp
Corn flour  2 tbsp
Pepper
Soy sauce  1 tbsp
Sugar  2 tsp
Shaoshing wine  1 tbsp
Ginger  1 tsp (chopped finely)


(B) glutinous rice
Oyster sauce  4 tbsp
Dark soy sauce  2 tbsp
Sesame oil  2 tsp
Soy sauce  2 tbsp
Chinese five spice powder  1/8 tsp
Pepper
Sugar  2 tsp


(C)Liquid / sauce to pour onto the rice ( just before sending to steam)
Minced garlic  4 cloves, chopped
Shallots finely chopped   4 small ones, chopped
A little oil
Water  400ml
Oyster sauce  4 tbsp
Sesame oil  1 tsp
Pepper
Sugar  2 tbsp
Soy sauce  1 tbsp
( saute above shallots and garlic until fragrant before added into the above liquid).

all ingredients

Methods
Mix all ingredients (A) with chicken and mushrooms for at least 30 minutes or, overnight. Set aside.
Mix (B) ingredients with glutinous rice.  Heat up the wok, fry the glutinous rice for 2 or 3 minutes. Set aside.
Fry shallot and garlic till aromatic, add into the liquid (C). Set aside.

Prepare 10 rice bowls, well-greased. Place chicken, mushroom, chinese sausage at the bottom, top up with the fried glutinous rice. Pour the liquid (C) JUST slightly over or on the rice, swirl the bowls to ensure grains are all wet.

Steam for 45 minutes.
Use a knife, go around the edge of the bowls, invert and sit bowls on serving plates.

Fan Tuan / Chi Fan ( Sticky Rice )

This is my son's favourite, he can actually have it as his proper meal too. I often make lots so he can bring for school lunch.  Good to eat it warm or at room temperature too. Youtiao has to be pre-toasted so you get some crispy texture from the bite, I was very generous with the fillings this time, I added fried black sesame on the rice for aroma and nutrients.

For my Fan Tuan, I just wrapped it with free hand. I find it very easy to handle this way. You can to use sushi mat or a clean towel wrapped inside a plastic bag to support and wrap it up. The rice has to be warm when doing the wrapping. It does harden when it cools down.

Recipe and inspiration from here
Ingredients
( makes 8 rolls)

4 cups glutinous rice ( washed, soaked for 4 hours, drained)
6 beaten eggs ( mix in with salt and pepper, pan fry thinly)
1 cup shredded pork floss
4 tablespoons chopped salted dried radish (cleaned, drained, with a little cut chili and sugar, fry for a minute or 2).
2 Chinese fried cruller (youtiao), cut into 8 pieces, get it toasted in the oven til crispy.
Fried / toasted black sesame
some sesame oil

Use a shallow pan to ensure all rice evenly cooked.

you can use a sushi mat to wrap too

Methods
Place the rice in a shallow pan, mix well with 1/2 tsp salt. In rapidly boiling water, get it steamed for 20 minutes or, until it is cooked, stir the rice half way through. When it is done, mix in black sesame and combine well.
Wipe some sesame oil on the top surface of the cling wrap, place some rice on top of it, then top up  the rest of the ingredients (see pic).
Roll it up nice and firm.

Cantonese Sticky Dumpling (zoong)

This was my first experience making the dumpling, felt really good about it. I finally made it! Wrapping part was messy for the beginning but all went well for the rest of the session. Very delicious dumplings!  Credits to Christines' Recipes.



Ingredients
60 pieces bamboo leaves
(Soaked overnight til softened. Wipe cleaned both sides. Into a large pot with hot boiling water, covering the leaves altogether. Cook with 1 tbsp oil, over high heat. Once boiled, remove from heat and keep warm with lid on).
1 kg glutinous rice ( soaked 1 hour, drained and seasoned)
600g peeled mung beans (soaked 4 hours or overnight. Drained, seasoned)



Fillings
350g pork belly, no skin ( cut into chunks, marinade and refrigerate 2 to 3 days)
8 shiitake mushrooms, soaked and shredded (saute till aromatic, seasoned and set aside)
10 salted egg yolks, halved ( store bought or homemade)- I did not have this.


To marinade the pork belly
2 tsp five spice powder
1and 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp light soya sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
white pepper, to taste
a dash Shaoxing wine


Seasoning for shiitake mushrooms
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar


Seasoning for glutinous rice
1 and 1/2 tbsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 and 1/2 tbsp oil


Seosoning for mung beans
3 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp oil


To wrap the dumpling
Watch  here and here 





Methods
Wrap the dumplings following the detailed video clips descriptions.
Place dumplings in a very large pot.
Cook in boiling water on high medium heat for 3 hours (I had mine for 2.5 hrs)
Drain out the dumplings and let it cool down.
( note: water has to cover all the dumplings during cooking).

so, you have to soak these bamboo leaves overnight.
Something heavy has to sit on top of it to ensure all well-soaked.

not much to prepare for the ingredients actually...
pork belly is not shown here.

here's the start of the tricky part
smooth sides up
layer them this way

                                                               form a cone

 1 heaped tablespoon rice
1 heaped tablespoon mung beans
pork belly.....etc
fold to the right, nice and firm

fold to the left now, nice and firm

take one bamboo leave to seal one of the open end.

keep on going

do the same job over the other side that is opened.

can't believe I have finally done all these, phew.....

My two darlings ate it right away as soon as its ready..
This is how we had it, a bit of soya sauce, a bit of sugar too, yum!

Stir- fried glutinous rice

     This is one of our favourites whenever we go to Yum Cha at Dim Sum restaurants.
     Hong Kong Cantonese style is usually very light in colour. Being homemade is great as we can
     be generous of the ingredients used. Make lots in one go, wrap them well and store in the freezer
     for emergency run out of food days.
   

    Ingredients:
    2 cups glutinous rice
    5 chinese sausages (lap cheong)-   soak, cut into very small pieces
    5 tablespoons shrimps-   soak,cut into small pieces
    7 dried scallops-  soak,shredded by hand
   10 medium large dried mushrooms-cut into very small pieces
    Spring onions (scallions),  chopped for garnish
    1 egg

    Seasoning
    2 tablespoons light soya sauce
    2 teaspoons dark soya sauce
    2 teaspoon sugar

    Inspiration from here
    Method
    1.  Glutinous rice preparation:
         Soak the glutinous rice for at least 3 hours or overnight.
         Place them on a shallow pan, spread them out thinly. Set up steamer, over high heat, steam for 20 minutes. Set aside for later use.
    2.  Dry ingredients preparation:
         Rinse and clean the ingredients, with just enough water over the surface of the ingredients, soak the shrimps, mushrooms and dry scallops till softened ( on separate bowl for each).  Reserve soaking water from the dry scallops and shrimps for when you needed it in your stirring later.

   3.  Egg preparation:
        Whisk in one tablespoon of water to one egg, season with a pinch of salt. Heat oil in a nonstick pan, spread out the beaten egg. Move around the pan, spread out the egg into a disc. Fry both side until golden. When it is cooled, cut into thin strips (mine is not good enough:))
        

   4.  Using nonstick pan, over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil, fry the chinese sausages till fragrant, relying on the excess oil from it continue to fry the shrimps til fragrant, mushrooms and dry scallops in the same manner.  Now, add in the rice and the seasonings.
Start with a tablespoon water ( your soaking water) to add in and soften and unclump the rice. Just make sure you go one tablespoon at a time.  Be very careful for if you pour in too much water at a time, the rice texture would turn soggy or lumpy. 
    
    4.  For my own preference, I use lots of spring onions and toss in the rice after turning off the heat.   It brings out such a wonderful aroma when you actually eat it.  Otherwise, use it to garnish just like the eggs.

TIP: Rice should be soft, not over dry, chewy texture is not right .  Each grain should be cooked through inside, grain separated individually.

the aroma is wonderful

Steamed glutinous rice Lo Mai Gai ( using lotus leaves)

I bought a packet of dried lotus leaves ready to make frangrant Lo Mai Gai. Everyone actually loved it so much, especially my parents.  My son had 3 packets all in one go ! So there I am, making a 2nd...3rd..and now the last batch.

Because I made so much, now my dad  can have as many as he wants, just take it out from the freezer and steam it again.  That's what I do too, we stuffed a lot in the freezer for rainy days when I am too lazy or tired to cook.

I searched on net found recipes are pretty much the same , the kind of ingredients used.  In the end, I decided to do it my way here.

Homemade Lo Mai Gai is the best! we can have generous ingredients as much as we like..

(A) Rice preparation ( 500g glutinous rice)

Ingredients:

1.  Light soya sauce ( 2 tablespoons)
2.  Dark soya sauce ( 1 tablespoon)
3.  Water ( 1/2 cup, not more than that)
4.  Oyster sauce ( 1 tablespoons)
5.  Sesame oil
6.  Sugar ( 1 teaspoon)
7.  White Pepper
8.  Pinch of salt

 Mix well .
Get steamer ready and steam on high heat for 20 minutes.
( note:I made 1 kg rice, so I had two shallow plates over two levels on my bamboo steamer).

Fillings ( decide the amout individually):

With a little oil, fry and eventually mix everything together.   Fry chicken separately  and add in the rest, season well with the usual soya sauce, oyster sauce..., final quick fry and done!

1.  Chinese sausage (Lup Cheong)
2.   Boneless chicken thighs sliced in small pieces and marinated.
3.  Chinese mushrooms, soaked and cut into small cubes.
4.  Small shrimps, soaked.
5.  Dried oyster, soaked
6.  Chinese rice wine
7.  A bit of conflour
8.  Sesame oil
Note: excess liquid / stock would be good to add in the cooked glutinous rice.

Ingredients for my first batch

This was my 4th batch of Lo Mai Gai, I decided to add without lup cheong 

For Lotus leaves:-
Cook in boiling water for 2 minutes), ready to be used, I did not bother to wipe them dry, it all went good.

Dried lotus leaves 

Boil 2 minutes in hot water and ready to go!

Method:

1.  Soak glutinous rice overnight.  Drain.
2.  Set up steamer. Steam rice for 20 minutes on high heat.
3.  Remove rice out from steamer, use a pair of chopstick and mix them up again so the sauce is evenly spread all over the rice.  Let it cool down a bit.
4.  Set your working area with the cooked ingredients and leaves ready for next move.
5.  Lay your leaf flat on the table, put on your disposable gloves,  start by placing some rice flat on the centre of the leaf.  Gather some ingredients over the top of the rice. Lastly, top up more rice to cover up so ingredients is hidden inside).
6.  Wrap up the parcels one by one in the steamer. Steam for 20 minutes for high heat.
7.  Done!