steamed lotus leaf parcels
3 min readThese magical little parcels are lovingly wrapped and steamed in rehydrated lotus leaves,which subtly perfumes the sticky rice with a slightly floral fragrance. A filling of plump Chinese mushrooms, saucy chicken and savoury pork make these a delectable meal-in-one. but in our experience, one is never enough.
Makes 84 dried Chinese mushrooms pinch granulated sugar 2 dried lotus leaves soy sauce, to serve (optional) for the rice 320g glutinous rice 1 tsp vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing pinch salt for the pork filling 150g pork mince clove garlic, finely diced 14 tsp light soy sauce pinch salt tsp ground white pepper 12 tsp cornflour 12 tbsp vegetable oil 12 tsp finely diced ginger 120g bamboo shoots, diced tbsp Shaoxing rice wine 2 tbsp hoisin sauce 14 tsp dark soy sauce 4 tsp sesame oil for the chicken 150g skinless chicken thighs or drumsticks, sliced into 16 pieces 3 slices ginger, cut into matchsticks %4 tsp cornflour tsp granulated sugar 14 tsp light soy sauce %4 tsp sesame oil add an exotic(see here) 1 larp cheong (Chinese sausage), sliced Wash the glutinous rice in several changes of water until the water runs clear, then soak in a large bowl of cold water overnight.
2 The next day, lightly oil dish( round cake tin works well). Drain the rice and put into the dish then mix in the oil and salt. Steam in a large covered saucepan of hot water set over a medium heat for 40 minutes, or until the grains are translucent and tender to the bite.
Meanwhile, soak the Chinese mushrooms in a bowl of hot water with the sugar for 30 minutes.
Remove and discard the mushroom stalks and slice the caps in half.
4 Prepare the filling by combining the pork, garlic, light soy sauce, salt, white pepper and cornflour in a bowl. Cover and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
5 Rinse the lotus leaves under cold running water Use a pair of scissors to cut each leaf into quar-ters, then trim off an equilateral triangle from the pointed end of each quarter. Put the leaves and trimmings in a large tray and soak in lukewarm water for 15 minutes. (You might need to use a plate to weigh the leaves down to keep them submerged in the water.
6 Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the ginger until fragrant. Add the mari-nated pork and fry for a few minutes until browned, then add the bamboo shoots and rice wine and stir until the alcohol cooks off. Turn off the heat and stir in the hoisin and dark soy sauces and the sesame oil, then transfer to a bowl and leave to cool to room temperature.
7 In a bowl, combine the chicken, ginger cornflour, sugar, light soy sauce, sesame oil and 1/2 tea-spoon wate.
8 To assemble each parcel, place a lotus leaf with the greener side facing down onto the work surface and the trimmed edge closest to you so it looks like a fan from your angle. Put one ofthe trimmed triangles in the centre to reinforce the base of your parcel. Wet your hands(to prevent sticking)and put 2 tablespoons of rice on top of the triangle. Use your fingertips to ease the rice out into a rough 6 x 8cm rectangle. Spoon 1/2 tablespoon of the pork filling onto the rice base and pread it out to within 1cm of the edge. Arrange two of the chicken pieces on top, tuck a halved mushroom in between, followed by a slice of larp cheong, if using. Re-wet your hands and flat-ten another 2 tablespoons of rice in the palm of your hand, and place over the rice base like a loose lid.
9 To wrap each parcel, fold the bottom trimmed edge over the rice, followed by both side wings to-wards the centre, and then roll the whole thing up and away from you so the rice is completely encased. Set aside and repeat.
10 Steam the parcels, in batches if needed, over vigorously boiling water for 15 minutes. Unravel the parcels just before eating and drizzle over soy sauce, if wished.
Double the recipe and freeze leftover parcels once they have cooled down from steaming. To reheat, steam from frozen or even easier, give the parcel a blitz in the microwave until the lotus leaf can be peeled off and then cover with cling film and microwave until heated through.
