MUZIChinese Matrix
Dim Sum · FFET10231
Glutinous rice with chicken, mushroom and other fillings, wrapped in a lotus leaf and steamed, a familiar Cantonese dim sum.
A round white porcelain plate holds a brown lotus leaf with sticky rice coated in brown sauce, boneless chicken thigh, shiitake, Chinese sausage, dried shrimp and ginger, with wooden chopsticks resting beside the plate.
The small dishes served with tea in a tea house.
Lo mai gai, or glutinous rice chicken, is a snack of glutinous rice, chicken, mushroom and other fillings steamed in a lotus leaf. It is a Guangdong dim sum, often with barbecued pork, and in Malaysia and Singapore it is also steamed in a bowl. The reported origin at Guangzhou night markets and a 2024 recipe's account crediting old Guangzhou street vendors lack sources or a reliable year, so its starting date remains uncertain. In the 4 recipes, the steaming after wrapping runs from 15 minutes to about 90 minutes, depending on whether the rice was cooked beforehand.
Lo mai gai, or glutinous rice chicken, is a small parcel of glutinous rice in a lotus leaf, holding stir-fried chicken and mushroom, and often Chinese sausage or dried shrimp. It is a Guangdong dim sum, and the filling can also include barbecued pork.1,2,3,4,5
No dated text was found; existing dating claims and a 2024 recipe's account of its creation by old Guangzhou street vendors lack sources, so its starting date remains uncertain.1,2,3,4,5
It is a Guangdong dim sum, reportedly originating at Guangzhou night markets; in Malaysia and Singapore it is also steamed in a bowl.1
The glutinous rice is soaked, the chicken and other fillings are stir-fried separately, and rice and fillings are layered on a softened lotus leaf, folded into a parcel and steamed. The steaming after wrapping runs from 15 minutes to about 90 minutes, depending on whether the rice was steamed or cooked beforehand.2,3,4,5
The 2024 recipe's account of street vendors creating it as food to grab and go lacks a source; the other texts consulted do not explain the use of lotus leaves, so no explanation is inferred.1,2,3,4,5
Lo mai gai also has a small version called pearl chicken and bowl-steamed forms in Malaysia and Singapore. The 4 recipes differ in their fillings: some add Chinese sausage, others dried shrimp, dried scallop or pork.1,2,3,4,5
The tale goes that the dish began with street vendors at Guangzhou night markets, who sold glutinous rice with chicken to people on the move, ready to eat in the hand.
Told in: A tale of the Guangzhou night markets: Chinese Wikipedia says it reportedly began there, and a 2024 recipe article credits old Guangzhou street vendors with a food to take away on the way to work. Neither gives a source, and no dated original text was found.
Grandma Li
This is a simplified home version, not the traditional restaurant method.
This is the simpler way I make it at home, four small parcels at a time. The glutinous rice is soaked and steamed until half done, the chicken, mushroom, sausage and dried shrimp are stir-fried separately until seasoned and cooked through, and everything is wrapped in a softened lotus leaf and steamed again. The amount of rice follows a recipe that names no individual author (I use less chicken than it does), the mix of sausage, mushroom and dried shrimp follows a signed recipe, and soaking the rice beforehand follows another signed recipe. The recipes I read give different times for steaming the rice beforehand and for steaming the parcels, so about 25 minutes beforehand and about 20 minutes after wrapping are my own choices at home.
Allergens: shellfish, soy, wheat, sesame
