In Cantonese-speaking regions, yum cha, literally meaning “drinking tea”, is a very popular type of Chinese-style brunch, typically involving drinking Chinese tea and eating dim sum. And you can’t talk about dim sum without talking about sticky rice chicken.
Sticky rice chicken is one of the most popular types of steamed dim sum, beloved by dim sum aficionados all around the world. Though its name makes it seem pretty simple, the dish actually contains a variety of ingredients, including mushrooms, Chinese chestnuts, Chinese sausage, scallions, and sometimes dried shrimp or salted eggs.
As the Chinese saying goes, “Impatient people can’t eat hot tofu.” Even if you try a simple version of this dish, it’s going to take some patience and sophistication. Prepping is the key. The dried lotus leaves need to be soaked in water until they’re soft enough to be used as a flexible wrapper. Similarly, the sticky rice is going to need to be soaked in water for about an hour before being cooked.
After your prep, stir-fry the chicken with the shiitake mushrooms, then you need to wrap the sticky rice and the chicken into a lotus leaf: sticky rice on the bottom, chicken in the middle, and sticky rice on the top. Obviously, not everyone’s a perfect wrapper at first, so use some toothpicks if you need them. Some folks don’t like to take the trouble of having the lotus leaf— steamed sticky rice with chicken is pretty darn good— but honestly, the lotus leaf is the highlight and it adds a whole new refreshing flavor.
Sticky rice chicken is said to have originated at a Guangdong night fair in the 1940s and was served in bowls. Gradually, peddlers began to use lotus leaves instead of bowls because it was more convenient to carry.
The traditional sticky rice chicken serving is a pretty big dish, with as much as 150 to 200 grams of rice in a serving. If you’re not that hungry, you can take a page out of one Guangdong restaurant’s book and make ones half as big, dubbed the “Pearl Chicken”.
Whatever serving you opt for, sticky rice chicken is the perfect dish for an afternoon in the sun with some Chinese tea.
Cut the chicken thigh into small cubes and the shiitake mushrooms into squares. Then mince the leek and the garlic.
Season the chicken slices with half a teaspoon of salt, Shaoxing wine, and oyster sauce as well as one teaspoon of starch. Mix well and set aside. Steam the soaked rice for 20 minutes, and set aside to cool.
Heat the wok and add oil. Add the garlic and leeks and stir fry until fragrant. Put the mushrooms into the wok and stir fry until aromatic and then add the chicken. Season it with dark sauce, light soy sauce, and cooking wine. Then, add salt and white pepper to taste.
Drizzle with sesame oil and transfer them to a plate.
Lay the lotus leaf on a flat surface and spread half of the sticky rice on it. Then, spoon some fillings on the layer of rice.
Spoon on the remaining rice to cover the filling.
Lift the top of the leaf to halfway cover the rice and then fold in the sides to make a sealed parcel.
Put the parcel in a steamer for about 10 minutes and serve.
“Sticky Rice Chicken” is the cover story from our newest issue, “Agriculture”. To read the whole piece, become a subscriber and receive the full magazine. Alternatively, you can purchase the digital version from the iTunes Store.
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