Lotus Leaf Wraps

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 lotus leaves, cut each in quarters
  • 2 cups sweet rice (sticky rice)
  • 4 Chinese dried black mushrooms
  • 2 Chinese sausages
  • 1 oz chopped ham (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon dry shrimp (optional), soaked and chopped
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots (divide)
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped green onion (divide)
  • 2 tablespoons white wine or dry sherry (divide)
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
  • 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 can (14 oz) of low sodium chicken broth
  • vegetable oil for stir-frying

Cooking Steps:

  1. Soak the lotus leaves in hot water for at least one hour. Clean thoroughly and pat dry. Cut the edge off and discard the bad part; divide each leaf into four equal parts.
  2. Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water until soft.
  3. Cut the chicken into small cubes. Marinate the chicken with dark soy sauce, a little bit of cornstarch and 1 teaspoon wine, for 20 minutes.
  4. Cut Chinese sausages, mushrooms and ham into small pieces.
  5. Soak sweet rice with tap water for two hours, drain and place rice into a large bowl with two thirds a can of chicken broth. Cook for 10 minutes in microwave oven with high power; stir around the rice once during cooking.
  6. Heat oil in medium heat, stir-fry the green onion and shallots (half); stir in chicken and cook for a minute or two. Add white wine and ¼ tsp brown sugar, cook until chicken is 80 percent cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
  7. Heat oil again; sauté shallots, green onion, and dried shrimp for 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients and stir-fry for a minute. Pour in soy sauce, wine, ¼ tsp brown sugar, and ½ cup water continue cook until the juice are absorbed. Season to taste, and remove from the heat. All above steps can be done the day before.
  8. Lay out a lotus leaf in front of you. Spread one thin layer of cooked rice on the center of lotus leaf, and then add the chicken and sausage stuffing on top of the rice. Cover with another thin layer of sticky rice. Wrap the lotus leaf to form a square parcel, place them in the steamer.
  9. Repeat the process, will yield about 8 to 10 lotus leaf wraps. Steam them in the steamer over high heat for 15-20 minutes.
  10. Serve immediately.

荷叶包饭