Lo Mai Gai (Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf)

Lo mai gai — sticky rice in lotus leaf — is one of the heavier and more filling items in the Cantonese yum cha repertoire, and as such it tends to arrive at the table at the end of a dim sum session rather than the beginning, when everyone has already had their fill of dumplings and small dishes and then finds themselves confronted with a large leaf-wrapped parcel.

The package is assembled from glutinous (sticky) rice that has been partially steamed and seasoned with soy sauce and oyster sauce, then mixed with the main filling components: diced or shredded chicken (usually marinated dark meat, cooked separately), reconstituted dried shiitake mushrooms, Chinese sausage (lap cheong, the sweet, slightly fatty pork sausage that appears throughout Cantonese cooking), salted duck egg yolk (adding richness and a concentrated savoury quality), and dried shrimp for depth of flavour. The mixture is placed on a lotus leaf that has been soaked in hot water to soften it, folded into a rectangular parcel, and then steamed for two to three hours until the rice is fully cooked and the filling has melded together.

The lotus leaf is not eaten; it is used as a cooking and serving wrapper. During steaming it releases a subtle, grassy, slightly floral scent into the rice that distinguishes a properly made lo mai gai from versions cooked in parchment or banana leaf. Real lotus leaves are dried and then rehydrated before use; identifying a kitchen that uses them rather than substitutes is a minor quality indicator.

At the table, the parcel is unwrapped — a moment that releases the steam and the lotus scent together — and the rice is eaten directly from the leaf with chopsticks. The ingredients are distributed through the rice rather than sitting separately on top, so each mouthful contains a mixture.

Lo mai gai appears at most Cantonese yum cha restaurants and is also sold as a street food in Guangdong at breakfast time, at a smaller individual-serving scale.