Lo Mai Gai

== Description ==
Lotus leaf wraps
* Serves 8 
== Ingredients ==
* 4 lotus leaves, cut in half
* 1¼ cups glutinous rice (sticky rice)
* 4 Chinese dried black mushrooms
* 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, 6 ounces
* ¼ teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon rice wine
* 1 teaspoon cornstarch
* 2 Chinese sausages (lop cheong)
* 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
* 1 tablespoon Chinese or Japanese rice wine
* 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
* 1 teaspoons dark soy sauce
* 1½ teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for stir-frying, or as needed
* ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
* freshly ground black or white pepper, to taste
== Directions ==
# One hour ahead of time, prepare the rice and lotus leaves: soak the lotus leaves in hot water for 1 hour.
# Pat dry.
# Cover the rice with water and let soak for 1 hour.
# Drain.
# Next, steam the rice.
# Line a bamboo steamer with parchment paper or cabbage leaf.
# Fill a wok approximately to the half-way point with water so that the steamer will be sitting above the water without touching.
# Bring the water to a boil cover the rice and steam for about 20 minutes.
# Remove the rice, cover and keep warm while preparing the remainder of the ingredients.
# Soften the dried mushrooms by soaking in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes.
# Squeeze out any excess water, remove the stems and finely chop.
# Cut the chicken into small cubes about the size of a postage stamp.
# Add the salt, 1 tablespoon rice wine and 1 teaspoon cornstarch.
# Marinate the chicken for 20 minutes.
# Finely chop the sausages.
# Peel and chop the garlic.
# In a small bowl, combine the rice wine, light soy and dark soy sauce.
# In a separate small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water, and whisk into the sauce.
# Heat a wok and add 2 tablespoons oil.
# When the oil is hot, add the garlic and stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds).
# Add the chicken cubes.
# Stir-fry until they turn white and are 80 percent cooked through.
# Add the sausages and the mushrooms.
# Stir-fry for a minute.
# Give the sauce mixture a quick re-stir then add in the middle, stirring quickly to thicken.
# Season with pepper, to taste.
# Cook for 1 to 2 more minutes to mix everything together and heat through.
# Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil.
# Cool.
# To make the wraps, separate the rice and the filling into 8 equal sections, 1 section for each wrap.
# Lay out a lotus leaf in front of you.
# Place a portion of the rice mixture into the center of a lotus leaf.
# Add the meat and vegetable mixture over top, shaping the rice with your hands so that it forms a ring around the filling.
# Add more rice to cover.
# Form a square parcel with the lotus leaf and tie it up with twine.
# Repeat with the remaining lotus leaves.
# Steam the lotus leaf parcels, covered, on a heatproof plate in a bamboo steamer for 15 minutes, or until they are done.
Category:American Chinese Meat Dishes
Category:American Chinese Snacks
Category:Glutinous rice Recipes
Category:Sesame oil Recipes
Category:Sake Recipes
Category:Rice wine Recipes
Category:Shiitake mushroom Recipes
Category:Chicken breast Recipes
Category:Sausage Recipes
Category:Recipes that need photos