The chicken and Chinese sausage filling is savory and aromatic, with a rich lotus leaf fragrance; the chicken is tender and succulent, while the glutinous rice is soft yet pleasantly chewy.
This dish is similar to Cantonese zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), but while zongzi is made by cooking raw meat directly, this dish requires the fillings to be stir-fried first. Cantonese lap cheong (cured sausage) is savory-sweet with a rich wine aroma, and whether in clay pot rice or sticky rice chicken, it seems destined to pair perfectly with rice. The salted egg yolk offers a sandy, crumbly texture, the dried shrimp bring a subtle hint of the sea, and together with the marinated chicken, the flavors are truly distinctive. Interestingly, it’s not at its best right after steaming—the most delicious version is the one you take out of the fridge and re-steam the next day. Using a clean steel spoon, scoop up a portion, watch the steam rise slowly, bring it gently to your lips, take a soft bite, and let your teeth experience layer after layer of textures—soft and sticky, grainy, savory and aromatic, even a whisper of ocean breeze—all unfolding one after another.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
200 g (about 7 oz) chicken thigh meat
250 g (about 9 oz) glutinous rice
For convenience, boneless chicken thighs can be used instead of a whole chicken, which is more troublesome to debone.
Additional Ingredients
3 salted duck egg yolks
1 Cantonese-style Chinese sausage
dried shrimp, a small amount
Dried lotus leaves, as needed
Dried lotus leaves have a more intense aroma.
Marinade
10 g (about 2 teaspoons) Shaoxing wine
15 g (about 1 tablespoon) light soy sauce
10 g oyster sauce
1 g salt
5 g (about 1 teaspoon) sugar
White pepper powder and dark soy sauce, a pinch of each
Instructions
Instructions
Preparation
Step 1: Soak the glutinous rice for 12 hours in advance. When steaming, drain off the excess water, leaving just a little bit, then steam over high heat until fully cooked. Use chopsticks to loosen and separate the rice (Image 2).
*The glutinous rice must be soaked in advance, otherwise it will require more heat and time to cook and won't have a chewy texture.
*After soaking the glutinous rice, drain off the excess water to ensure it doesn't clump into a sticky mass when steamed.
② Cut the chicken thigh meat into small cubes. Dice the salted duck egg yolks, Chinese sausage, and dried shrimp into small pieces (Image 3). Blanch the dried lotus leaves in boiling water, then set aside.
*Do not use too many dried shrimp, or they will taste fishy; soak them in warm water in advance.
*If you have homemade salted duck egg yolks, they are even better.
Marinate the chicken pieces
Marinate the diced chicken with the seasonings for about 1 hour, mixing well (Image 4).
Stir-fry the filling ingredients.
④ Pour an appropriate amount of oil into the wok and heat until it reaches about 70% hot (just starting to smoke). Add the marinated chicken pieces and stir-fry over high heat until they turn white and separate. Then add the Chinese sausage, salted duck egg yolks, and dried shrimp to the wok, continuing to stir-fry. Splash in a little Shaoxing wine and sprinkle with white pepper (Image 5), and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
The chicken pieces are already well-seasoned, and the Chinese sausage, salted egg yolk, and dried shrimp are also quite salty, so there's no need to add extra salt when stir-frying. Just add a small amount of Shaoxing wine and white pepper to remove any off-flavors, along with a little dark soy sauce for color.
*Stir-fry for a little longer to allow the flavors of the various seasonings to meld together.
When the mixture starts releasing a little liquid, add the cooked glutinous rice (Image 6) and stir-fry over medium-low heat until evenly combined (Image 7).
*After adding the sticky rice, do not use high heat or it will stick to the pan; simply stir to combine, allowing the rice to coat evenly with the sauce.
Wrap the glutinous rice chicken
Cut the lotus leaves into rectangular pieces. Place an appropriate amount of filling on each piece and wrap it into a small lotus leaf packet (Image 8). Repeat until all the filling is used up. Arrange the packets in a steamer basket and steam over high heat for about half an hour (Image 9).
*Do not wrap the lotus leaf packets too large; if they are larger, you will need to extend the steaming time accordingly—aim for a size that can be eaten in two or three bites.
*Steaming time should be longer rather than shorter; if you prefer an especially soft and sticky texture, feel free to steam it a bit longer.