Mastering layers of lo mai gai
Lo mai gai, or glutinous rice chicken, is one of the cornerstones of dim sum, commonly served as a breakfast or teatime staple.

It is the simplified version of zongzi – a dim sum dish recognised as one of the most difficult to master.

Although Cantonese in origin, there are many regional variations of this dish.

The one with Hokkien influence results in a darker lo mai gai while the Hunan version wraps it in lotus leaf.

Lo mai gai, a cornerstone of dim sum. — Photos: LOW LAY PHON/The Star

Lo mai gai was the dish that I prepared during the Zongzi festival when I was studying overseas and didn’t have the skills nor means to make rice dumplings.

Let’s call lo mai gai “the starter kit” that one needs to be able to handle before embarking into making zongzi.

The trick to getting the right texture of the dumpling’s outer rice layer is to soak the rice for at least two hours, ensuring the rice softens quickly without disintegrating into a lumpy mess.

And it is crucial that the bowl of lo mai gai is topped with chicken broth before steaming, to infuse the rice with a rich flavour.

Every ingredient in lo mai gai has an innate taste of umami and it’s a matter of building on each of these flavours to achieve a tasty dumpling.

For instance, each lo mai gai is filled with a whole cap of mushroom.

Yet more mushroom flavour can be extracted by mincing and frying mushroom with dried shrimp and shallots to become a dumpling filling.

The oil that results from this frying is then used to sear the rice in, thus imbibing more flavour into the dish.

It is this layering of flavours that distinguishes homemade lo mai gai from mass produced ones.

Although lo mai gai is usually sweet, this recipe uses minimal sugar because the rich umami taste brings sweetness to the tongue.

You may add more if you prefer a sweeter lo mai gai.

Because I opted for the convenience of store-bought char siew, I used less salt to reduce the saltiness of the dumpling.

Do taste the ingredients and adjust your seasoning accordingly.

Lo mai gai

Ingredients1kg glutinous rice

12 caps dried shiitake mushrooms

1 cup hot water

2 tbsp cooking oil

2 tbsp dried shrimps

50g shallots, minced

Marinade500g chicken leg quarters, deboned

1 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

½ tsp white pepper

1 tbsp cornstarch

Chicken seasoning

20g garlic, minced

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

1 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

Char siew filling100g char siew, diced

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tbsp white rice wine

1 tbsp light soy sauce

¼ cup water

1 tsp granulated sugar to taste

Topping1 link lap cheong, skinned and sliced

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups cold water

½ tsp five-spice powder

Directions

Soak shiitake mushrooms in hot water for at least two hours, then squeeze dry and save the mushroom infusion.

Trim off the stems and mince them, then set aside.

Set aside the mushroom caps for cooking with the chicken. Cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes and marinate for two hours.

To prepare the chicken, heat sesame oil in a wok and saute the garlic until wilted.

Toss in mushroom caps until lightly seared. Add chicken and stir-fry until seared on all sides.

Deglaze with Shaoxing wine, then season with oyster sauce, light soy sauce and mushroom infusion.

Stir until combined and set aside to cool completely.

To prepare char siew filling, heat oil in the wok and add flour to make a roux.

When flour turns lightly golden, toss in char siew until coated in the roux.

Deglaze with white rice wine, soy sauce and water, then season with sugar to taste. Set aside to cool completely.

Rinse the rice in water until the water runs clear, soak rice in cold water for two hours, and then drain in a wire mesh.

To prepare the rice, heat oil in the wok to fry the dried shrimps.

When fragrant, add shallots and mushroom stems and saute until wilted.

Add rice to coat in the fragrant oil and get a bit of sear on every grain.

Stir in the gravy from the chicken if dark lo mai gai is desired, otherwise keep it light for a more traditional Cantonese lo mai gai. Set aside to cool completely.

To assemble the lo mai gai, place one slice of lap cheong (Chinese sausage) in the bottom of a ceramic or metal bowl, followed by one tablespoon of char siew filling, one mushroom cap and one piece of chicken with some chicken gravy.

Fill with rice up to 1cm from the rim of the bowl and compress with a scoop to level, then pour the broth mixture into the bowl up to the top of the rice; this makes 12 individual bowls of lo mai gai.Place the bowls into the steamer tray in a single layer, cover with a lid and steam for 20 minutes on high heat.

If not serving immediately, cover each bowl with aluminium foil and keep warm in the steamer heated to a bare simmer.

To serve, flip the bowl over onto a serving plate to turn the lo mai gai out.

Serve immediately with sweet sauce and chilli sauce if desired.
Lo mai gai, or glutinous rice chicken, is one of the cornerstones of dim sum, commonly served as a breakfast or teatime staple.