Steamed Glutinous Rice With Chicken (Lor Mai Kai)
By Christina Tsoi
Lor Mai Kai, a Cantonese speciality is given a protein boost with salted egg yolk and for crunch, water chestnut is added.
Total time: 2 hours
Difficulty: 3/5
Cost: $24
Servings: 12 portions
A: Chicken and Condiments
5 chicken thighs, skinned, deboned and cut into chunks
30g Chinese dried mushrooms, soaked till soft and sliced thickly
3 water chestnuts, peeled and sliced into 0.2cm thickness
1 pair Chinese sausages, sliced diagonally into 0.4 cm thickness
6 salted eggs, yolks only, each cut into half
B: Rice Seasoning
600g glutinous rice
2 litres water
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon concentrated chicken stock or chicken powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons oil
C: Chicken Marinade
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon concentrated chicken stock or chicken powder
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons ginger juice
1 tablespoon Chinese wine
1 tablespoon cornflour
D: For Steaming and Serving
12 Chinese rice bowls <11 cm diameter
Chilli sauce, optional
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine chicken with mushrooms and water chestnuts. Pour in chicken marinade. Stand for 2 hours or overnight in fridge.
2. In a separate large mixing bowl, mix rice with 2 litres of water. Soak for 1.5 hours. Drain rice and discard the water.
3. Boil 2 litres of water in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add rice and soak 1 minute. Remove from heat and drain. Discard the water.
4. Transfer rice to a 24cm round tray and spread it evenly. Pour in the rice seasoning and mix well. Steam the rice in a wok for 40 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally until rice is almost cooked. Allow rice to cool down, about 10 minutes.
5. To assemble: line each rice bowl with a few pieces of marinated chicken, 3-4 slices of Chinese sausage, mushrooms, water chestnut and halved salted egg yolk.
7. Top with glutinous rice till ¾ full. Using the back of a slotted spoon, press rice down firmly and evenly.
8. Steam rice patties for 30 minutes over medium heat. To test if rice is cooked, insert a fork into the centre of a steamed rice patty. If the grains are translucent with no white centre, it is done.
9. Allow the rice patties to cool down slightly, around 5 minutes. To unmould, prepare small serving plates (15cm). Place the plate over the steamed rice and invert it. You will see the marinated chicken and condiments on top of the rice.
10. Serve hot with chilli sauce, if desired.
TIP: The cooked rice patties freeze well. Allow them to cool down completely. Store in glass receptacles with lids and freeze up to two weeks. To reheat, steam the patties in a wok or large saucepan over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
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