Steamed Sticky Glutinous Rice With Chicken (糯米鸡, Lo Mai Kai)

This is a classic dim sum dish which is normally seen wrapped in lotus leaf. In Malaysia, apart from the usual lotus leaf version, we have the take-away version which is normally sold in steel bowls (as seen here) or aluminium foil (as seen here). We normally get these at local coffee shops or even night markets and have them for breakfast. Tasty stuff!

Here in the UK, there's no such thing as take-away lo mai gai in foil, so if I crave for it, I will have to make some myself. It takes some time and effort to make, but it's all worth it! These are usually served in tiny portions with only one layer of sausages/chicken/mushrooms on top (as seen here). I don't have tiny bowls to prepare them in, so I used larger bowls and filled them with more sausages/chicken/ mushrooms as I personally prefer less glutinous rice.

Steamed Sticky Glutinous Rice With Chicken 糯米鸡

Printable recipe
Adapted from Ponikuta's recipe
By Pig Pig's Corner

Prep time: 15 mins
Marinade time: Overnight
Cook time: 1 hr 10 mins
Yield: one 0.75 L and one 1.25 L Pyrex casserole round dishes, serves 5-6

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks Chinese sausages (lap cheong)

For chicken & mushrooms:

• 700g chicken - chopped
• 10 Chinese mushrooms - soaked until softened and sliced
• 3 cloves garlic - pressed
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbs light soy sauce
• 1 tbs Cheong Chan Thick Dark Soy Sauce (Thick Caramel Sauce)
• 3 tbs oyster sauce
• 2 tbs Shaoxing wine
• 3 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp white pepper powder

For glutinous rice:

• 450g glutinous rice
• Water for soaking
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
• 1/2 tsp grounded white pepper
• 2 tsp sugar
• 3 tbs oyster sauce
• 1 spoon Knorr chicken powder
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp Cheong Chan Thick Dark Soy Sauce (Thick Caramel Sauce)

Directions:
The day before:

• Mix all ingredients/ seasonings for chicken and mushrooms in a bowl and leave to marinade in the fridge overnight.
• Wash glutinous rice, add enough water to cover all the rice and leave to soak overnight.

On the day:
For glutinous rice:

• Drain glutinous rice and mix with 1 cup of water and other ingredients/ seasonings.

• Place this in a lightly greased steaming bowl.
• Steam over medium-high heat for 15 mins.
• Fluff the rice with a fork.

• Place Chinese sausages on top of rice.

• Continue steaming for a further 20 mins or until rice is cooked.
• Remove sausages and slice.
• Place steamed rice and sausages aside for later use.

For chicken and mushrooms:

• Heat up a little bit of oil in a pan.
• Pour in chicken and mushrooms and stir-fry until chicken is cooked.
• Add more seasonings to suit your taste.
• Place aside for later use.

To assemble:

• In lightly greased bowls, place a layer of sausages, chicken and mushrooms.

• Cover with glutinous rice.

• Place another layer of sausages, chicken and mushrooms.

• Cover with rice.

• Steam over medium-high heat for 30 mins.
• Turn out steamed rice onto a plate and enjoy!