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Lo mai gai

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Lo mai gai
Lotus leaf wrap
Alternative namesNuomiji
CourseDim sum
Place of originGuangdong, China
Region or stateCantonese-speaking areas
Main ingredientsGlutinous rice filled with chicken, Chinese mushrooms, Chinese sausage, scallions and dried shrimp
VariationsZongzi, Lotus leaf wrap, Bánh chưng, Bánh tét, Bánh tẻ
Lo mai gai
Traditional Chinese糯米雞
Simplified Chinese糯米鸡
Literal meaningglutinous rice with chicken
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinnuòmǐ jī
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingno6 mai5 gai1
IPA[nɔ̀ː mɐ̌i kɐ́i]

Lo mai gai (Cantonese; characters 糯米雞 nuòmǐ jī in Mandarin), is a classic dim sum dish served during yum cha hours.[1] The dish is also called by the literal English translations such as "steamed sticky rice with chicken in lotus leaf wrap."[1]

Description

Lo mai gai is mostly a southern Chinese food. It contains glutinous rice filled with chicken, Chinese mushrooms, Chinese sausage, scallions and sometimes dried shrimp or salted egg. [1][2] The ball of rice is then wrapped in a dried lotus leaf and steamed.[1] In North America, banana, lily, or grape leaves may be used instead.

In Malaysia and Singapore, there are two variants of lo mai gai. The first is the original Cantonese version and the other a takeaway style served at coffee shops and speciality local dim sum shops. The takeaway style has glutinous rice served with chicken and are usually made by companies such as Kong Guan.

Variant

Sometimes lo mai gai is divided into smaller wraps, which are known as chun chu gai (Cantonese, 珍珠雞) literally meaning "pearl chicken" in Chinese.

Due to the flexibility of the lotus leaf, lo mai gai is typically wrapped to form a rectangular parcel. Zongzi is wrapped using bamboo leaves into a triangular based pyramid (tetrahedron).

Bánh chưng is the Vietnamese variant of lo mai gai, originating from Vietnam. It's typically in a square prism shape, composed of an exterior layer of sticky rice on all sides, stuffed with mung beans and pork. The pork is usually pork belly (same region where bacon derives from) marinated with fish sauce, black pepper, salt, garlic and may contain other spices and condiments depending on taste. It's typically wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Banh chung is especially served during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year of Tết (coinciding with Chinese New Year). Bánh chưng can be deep-fried instead of being steamed, which is then called bánh chưng rán. Another version of banh chung is bánh tét, which contains mostly the same ingredients and the same cooking method, but it's in a log shape, and can be sweet (not exclusively savoury as banh chung).

  • The takeaway style of lo mai gai (Usually served in a small bowl)
    The takeaway style of lo mai gai (Usually served in a small bowl)
  • Machang (Zongzi or Ma-Chang 肉粽 - a variant of Lo mai gai shaped in a triangular pattern - Chinese food made from sticky rice with chicken or pork adobo inside seasoned with bean sauce. It has also some mushrooms)
    Machang (Zongzi or Ma-Chang 肉粽 - a variant of Lo mai gai shaped in a triangular pattern - Chinese food made from sticky rice with chicken or pork adobo inside seasoned with bean sauce. It has also some mushrooms)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Hsiung, Deh-Ta. Simonds, Nina. Lowe, Jason. [2005] (2005). The food of China: a journey for food lovers. Bay Books. ISBN 978-0-681-02584-4. p27.
  2. ^ Sunflower (4 July 2009). "Lo Mai Gai 糯米雞 (lotus leaf wrapped chicken rice)". Retrieved 15 August 2012.
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