Steamed Glutinous Rice with Chicken (Lo Mai Kai)

I still keep in mind my self-challenge to showcase asian (especially Singaporean) food instead of the usual real food fare, and if I do share a recipe that's not, to follow up with one that's similar/inspired, but asian. When I did the Greek dolmades, I knew I just had to do Lo Mai Kai, fragrant glutinous rice steamed with chicken, shiitake mushrooms, chinese sausage, and/or dried shrimps, wrapped up in lotus leaves (hence also called Lotus Leaf Rice 荷叶饭). However, the Singapore version of Lo Mai Kai is slightly different. It's steamed in little aluminium foil bowls, sold in coffeeshops (kopitams) along with Chinese steamed buns (pau), as takeaway tea or breakfast.

Lo Mai Kai

serves 1 hungry person (please make more!)

Ingredients

1/2 cup brown glutinous rice

70g chicken thighs, deboned and chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 shiitake mushrooms, soaked (mushroom soaking water reserved)

For chicken and mushrooms

1 tsp dark soy sauce (I use 1 tsp tamari + 1 tsp molasses)

1 tsp natural oyster sauce

1 tsp shaoxing huadiao rice wine

1 clove garlic, grated

few drops of sesame oil

white pepper

For Rice

1 cup water (or stock)

1 tsp tamari light soy sauce (+a little bit of molasses)

1 tsp natural oyster sauce

1/2 tsp five spice powder

few drops of sesame oil

white pepper

Method

1. The night before, soak the rice with enough water to cover (This is not just a step to reduce phytic acid in grains, this is a must for sticky rice!) and marinate the mushrooms and chicken.

2. The next day, drain the rice and cook with 1 cup of water for about 30 minutes, or till cooked (I use a rice cooker). Mix with the seasoning for rice.

3. Fry the chicken and mushrooms for a few minutes till cooked.

4. To assemble, place the chicken and mushrooms at the bottom of a greased metal dish, then top with the rice. Press down to make sure the layers are tight.

5. Steam over medium high heat for 30 minutes.

6. Turn out onto a plate and dig in! If you've been wondering so far why I'm hiding the chicken and mushrooms with the rice instead of showcasing them, ah, now you know! It works like pineapple upside down cake.

The sticky rice is infused with the delicious flavours from the spices and seasoning, shiitake mushrooms, and marinated meat. And the pork lard, as used traditionally, and which I'd happily add to if I had. This was one of my favourite dishes growing up. My mum would go to the Tanjong Rhu Pau stall (best paus ever) and buy like 20 buns and these delicious Lo Mai Kai for tea that day and breakfast the next day. Now I wish I doubled the recipe..

Collard Leaf-Wrapped Herb Rice with Radish Tzatziki, or "Pseudolmades"

Spring greens, aka collard greens, are everywhere now, and both Tesco and Asda are selling huge bags for 50 pence. I found myself with yet another bag of these leafy vegetables because I cannot resist a cheap deal. Keeping a lookout for what's on offer and what's in season is also one of my best ways to stay within my real food student budget. After too many consecutive meals of spring greens thrown into all my soups and broths or into all sorts of stirfries, I wanted something different, and this recipe came to mind.

Dolmades are Greek parcels of rice wrapped with grape leaves or vine leaves, and there are loads of different varieties. I could have done this with some minced meat in the rice mixture too, or extra diced vegetables, but I really wanted it simple for the zesty spring herbs (that I freshly 'harvested' from my windowsill garden) to shine through. I liked them instantly when I first tasted them because they reminded me of dish from home- Chinese lotus-leaf wrapped rice 荷叶饭 loh mai kai- but now with an edible wrapper! It's hard to come across vine leaves, so collard greens, with their huge tough leaves, are a great alternative, i.e. pseudolmades (creative rights go to the real food dudes).

Pseudolmades

makes 8 parcels

8 large collard leaves

1/3 cup brown long-grain rice, soaked (plus 1/2 cup water)

3-4 spring onions, white parts, chopped finely

2 cloves garlic, chopped finely

handful of currants (or sultanas or preferred dried fruit)

handful of pumpkin seeds, soaked and dehydrated or toasted (originally pine nuts, but they're expensive)

handful of chopped coriander and mint leaves

juice and zest of half a lemon

sea salt and pepper, to taste

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Saute the onion and garlic in 1 tbsp of evoo, then add the rice, currants and pumpkin seeds to toast for 2 min more. Add the water, season, bring to boil and then let simmer till cooked.

2. Add the chopped herbs and lemon juice and zest to the cooked rice mixture.

3. Steam or blanch the collard leaves in boiling water for 5-10 min so you get cooked, flexible leaves that you can work with easily.

4. De-stem the leaves.

5. A picture speaks a thousand words, so 4 should be more than enough.

(Originally you would stuff the vine leaves with uncooked rice and then let them cook inside the vine leaves, but I think the collard leaves will turn to mush by then.)

5. You can eat them cold as an appetiser or warm, by steaming the parcels.

Ok now for the tzatziki, totally optional but you must do it.

Tzatziki is a great mediterranean dip that's really refreshing and easy to make! It kind of remindsme of Indian raita too, which is also basically yogurt and cucumber. I added radish too as it's in season and it adds a bit of pepperiness, you can cut it out and add more cucumber!

Radish Tzatziki

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and minced

2-3 radishes, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

handful of chopped mint (or dill)

juice of half a lemon

extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. To make greek yogurt, just strain the yogurt for a few hours till you get a thick creamy consistency. I use Yeo Valley organic yogurt, which is so creamy it's almost greek-like in consistency already so I skip this step.

2. Mix all the ingredients together, and refrigerate for half an hour or so for the flavours to meld.

This is great with toasted pita bread or as a dip for all sorts of things or even to accompany poached fish!

I served my dolmades with lemon slices and tzatziki spooned over generously. Together, they form a great dish that makes use of all that spring has to offer: collard greens, cucumber, radish, spring onions, lemons and fresh herbs like mint and coriander! How's this for a super springtime meal!

This is part of Hearth and Soul Blog Hop.

Steamed Herbal Chicken Parcels 纸包鸡

I love Chinese herbal chicken soup, like a simple Ginseng Chicken soup, or the more complicated ones that I rely on my mum for ;) This is a variation of herbal chicken soup-- the chicken thigh is marinated and then steamed with the sweet Chinese herbs, giving tender meat and juices infused with that wonderful herbal smell (that some people hate but I totally love). This recipe is adapted fromNoobcook's foil-wrapped herbal chicken.

Steamed Herbal Chicken Parcels 纸包鸡

serves 1 (makes 1 parcel)

Ingredients

1 chicken thigh+drum

1 ginseng

3 red dates, pitted and halved

3 slices dang gui (chinese angelica root)

1 piece dang shen (condonopsis root)

1 tsp wolfberry

1 clove garlic, minced,

Marinade

1" grated ginger

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp Chinese shaoxing rice wine (I used 花雕酒)

pinch of brown sugar (I used unrefined Rapadura)

pinch of white pepper

Method

1. Combine the chicken thigh with the marinade ingredients and leave overnight in the fridge, or at least 2h.

2. Place the chicken thigh on a sheet of parchment paper (I prefer this to aluminium foil, less.. toxic?) with the rest of the ingredients and pour the marinade over. Tie the parchment paper up so you get a cute little parcel.

3. Steam for about 35 min, then open the parcel and flip the chicken over for another 10 minutes. If you use chicken breast, just 20 min+10 min is enough!

I love unwrapping parcels, especially if my parcels contain food ;)