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A plate of sticky chicken rice.

Steamed Glutinous Rice With Chicken (Lo Mai Gai)

Harriet
This steamed glutinous rice with chicken recipe might look long and complicated, but it’s not. Just follow it step by step and you will be sitting down and enjoying this dish in next to no time.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours
Course Mains, Snacks
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 8 servings
Calories 481 kcal

Equipment

  • 8 small metal bowls (about ¾ cup size) or something similar.
  • A deep heat proof container large enough hold the 500 grams of rice. Make sure that it can fit into the steamer you are using – a cake tin will do.
  • Steamer

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams white glutinous rice

CHICKEN MARINADE

  • 380 grams boneless chicken thigh fillets – skin and fat removed
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon ginger powder
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cornflour

FILLING INGREDIENTS

  • 25 grams dried shrimp
  • 25 grams shitake mushrooms

GARLIC OIL

  • 4 garlic cloves – crushed and chopped finely
  • 4 tablespoons peanut oil

ADDITIONAL

  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil

FOR THE RICE

  • Peanut oil – for greasing steaming dish
  • 60 ml (¼ cup) water

RICE FLAVOURINGS

  • 2 tablespoons garlic oil <-- see note 1 below
  • 120 ml water
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • ½ tablespoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder <-- see note 2 below
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine
  • 1 tablespoon dark cooking caramel sauce <-- see note 3 below
  • ½ tablespoon sesame oil

Instructions
 

  • SOAK RICE
    - Wash and drain the glutinous rice 5-6 times. Place the drained rice into a container and cover with water. Soak for 2 hours.
    While the rice is soaking prepare the other ingredients.
  • MARINATE THE CHICKEN
    - Cut the chicken into tiny 1½ cm cubes and place into a small bowl with: 1 tablespoon rice wine, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, ½ teaspoon ginger powder, 1 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper, 1 tablespoon cornflour, and mix until the chicken is well coated.
    - Cover and marinate in the fridge for 20 – 30 minutes.
  • SOAK THE DRIED SHRIMP AND MUSHROOMS
    - Place the dried shrimp in a large mug, cover with boiling water and allow to soak for 5 minutes. Remove the prawns from the water by straining the liquid into a small measuring jug. Reserve the liquid for later use.
    - Place the drained prawns on absorbent paper, pat dry, then leave to air dry on a piece of dry absorbent paper. Set aside for later.
    While the prawns are soaking you can soak the mushrooms.
    - Place the mushrooms in a large mug, fill with boiling water. The mushrooms will float to the top, place a small saucer on top of the mug to keep the mushrooms submerged in the hot water. Allow to soak for 5 minutes. Strain the liquid from the mushrooms into a small jug. Squeeze the mushrooms dry whilst still in the strainer by pressing down on them with the back of a spoon. Reserve the liquid for later use.
    - Remove and discard the stems from the mushrooms. Roughly chop the mushrooms into small pieces. Set aside for later.
    - Combine the reserved mushroom liquid with the prawn liquid in the measuring jug. You should have at least 350 ml of liquid or more. If you have less than 350 ml just top up with hot water to get the required amount. Set aside for later.
  • MAKE THE GARLIC OIL
    Heat 4 tablespoons of peanut oil in a small frying pan or wok add the 4 chopped garlic cloves and fry until crisp and brown. Turn off the heat and allow to cool and strain. Set aside for later.
  • MAKE THE FILLING
    - Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a fry pan, add the prawns (from step 4), fry until the prawns become crispy.
    - Remove prawns from the hot oil (leaving as much of the oil in the pan as you can. You will use this to cook the chicken in). Drain the prawns on absorbent paper and allow to cool.
    - Roughly chop the cooled prawns. Set aside for later.
    - Using the fry pan that you used for the prawns, heat the oil that’s left in it, add all the chicken pieces and all the marinade, stir fry for 5-6 minutes until brown and cooked.
    - Add the chopped prawn pieces, the sliced mushrooms, the combined prawn/mushroom water (from step 7) and half a cup of water, bring to the boil and allow liquid to reduce a little. Remove from the heat, setting aside for later.
    PUTTING IT ALTOGETHER
  • COOKING THE RICE
    - Bring the water to boil in the steamer.
    - Oil the base and side of a large container that you intend to use for cooking the rice in.
    - Use a strainer to drain the soaked rice.
    - Place the drained rice into the well-oiled container, pour ¼ cup of water over the rice, then place into the boiling steamer, and steam for 25 minutes.
    While the rice is steaming prepare the flavourings for the rice.
    - In a small container mix together; 2 tablespoons garlic oil, 120 ml water, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, ½ tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder, 1 tablespoon rice wine, 1 tablespoon dark cooking caramel sauce, ½ tablespoon sesame oil.
    - Once the rice has cooked remove from the steamer, pour in all the liquid (from step 17) into the hot rice and mix well.
  • ASSEMBLING THE STEAMED GLUTINOUS RICE WITH THE CHICKEN
    - Divide the meat mixture into eight stainless steel bowls, spoon over some of sauce the chicken was cooked in.
    - Add rice to the top of the chicken in each bowl. Fill it right to the top and press down with a spoon.
    - If you have any left-over sauce, add 1-2 tablespoons to the top of the rice. If you don’t have any sauce left-over use water.
    - Boil the water in the steamer, place the bowls uncovered in the steamer, and steam for 20 minutes.
    - Remove from the steamer with tongs.
    - Use a spatula to pry around the inside of the bowl, turn it upside down on a plate and remove. Enjoy

Notes

  1. No need to buy garlic oil, you will be making this from scratch in this recipe.
  2. Try to use an Asian brand of chicken stock powder, the other brands have a slightly different taste, which does not really work with this.
  3. Dark cooking caramel sauce can be purchased from an Asian supermarket.
 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 481kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 17gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 911mgPotassium: 217mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 11IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 2mg
Keyword chicken stock powder, chicken thigh fillets, corn flour, dark cooking caramel sauce, dried shrimp, galric, ginger powder, glutinous rice, individual serves, oyster sauce, peanut oil, rice wine, seasame oil, shitake mushrooms, steamed recipe, steamer
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