Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf Recipe
 Chinese
chefs are adept at cooking glutinous rice, usually wrapped around savory
mixes and often cloaked in lotus leaves. This is known as "lor mai fun"
in Cantonese. The dried leaves are fragile and, before using, need to be
soaked in hot water until soft, so that they are pliable enough for
wrapping.
Ingredients: (Serves 4; Preparation
Time 45 minutes plus 1 hour's soaking)
400 g/2½ cups glutinous rice, soaked for 1
hour in cold water, rinsed and drained
For the stuffing:
4 dried Chinese mushrooms
2 tablespoons peanut (groundnut) or light
olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
200 g/7 oz skinless chicken fillet, diced
1 Chinese sausage, finely sliced
8 canned Chinese chestnuts
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons chopped scallions (spring
onions)
Chili sauce, to serve (optional)
Method:
Steam the soaked rice for 20 minutes, and
set aside. Put the mushrooms in a bowl, just cover with hot water and
leave to soak for 10 minutes; drain, chop and set aside. Heat the oil in
a wok over a medium-high heat, and fry the garlic for 2 minutes; take
care not to burn. Add the chicken and Chinese sausage, and stir-fry for
5 minutes. Add the remaining stuffing ingredients, including the chopped
mushrooms, and stir-fry for a further 5 minutes. Sprinkle a little water
on top. Remove from the heat.
Soak the lotus leaf in hot water for a few
minutes, then remove, wipe dry with kitchen paper and trim off the hard
stalk. Spread out the cooked rice over the lotus leaf to a thickness of
about 1 cm/½ inch, and use the presser to firm it up.
Pile the stuffing ingredients in the center
of the rice. Lift up two opposite sides of the lotus leaf, line them up
together, and fold them over and over to seal like a parcel. Gather the
remaining two sides, and fold them so that the edges of the leaf tuck in
and under.
Pat the parcel firmly so that it holds its
shape, then turn over, so that the seam-side is underneath. Sit
seam-side down on a plate in a bamboo steamer set over a wok of
simmering water. Cover and steam for 10 minutes.
Unwrap, and serve straight from the leaf
with chili sauce to accompany, if liked.
Happy Cooking,
Carol |
