Lo Mai Gai (Dim Sum Leaf Wraps) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 lotus leaves, cut in half or 8 banana leaves
1 1/4 cups glutinous rice (sticky rice)
4 chinese dried black mushrooms
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shaoxing wine or 1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 Chinese sausage (lop cheong)
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for stir-frying
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

One hour ahead of time, prepare the rice and lotus leaves: Soak the lotus leaves in hot water for 1 hour. Cover the rice with water and let soak for 1 hour. Pat dry the leaves and drain the rice.
When ready to create the filling, start by steaming the rice. While rice is cooking, soften the dried mushrooms by soaking in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes. Squeeze out any excess water, remove the stems and finely chop.
Next, cut the chicken into small cubes about the size of a postage stamp. Add the salt, 1 tablespoon rice wine and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Marinate the chicken for 20 minutes.
Finely chop the sausages. Peel and chop the garlic. In a small bowl, combine the rice wine, light soy and dark soy sauce. In a separate small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water, and whisk into the sauce.
At this point, the rice should be ready and you have a few separate components of the dish ready.
Heat a wok or heavy frying pan and add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds). Add the chicken cubes. Stir-fry until they turn white and are 80 percent cooked through.
Add the sausages and the mushrooms. Stir-fry for a minute. Give the sauce mixture a quick re-stir then add in the middle, stirring quickly to thicken. Season with pepper, to taste. Cook for 1 to 2 more minutes to mix everything together and heat through. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil. Cool. (can be made ahead of time and refrigerated).
To make the wraps, separate the rice and the filling into 8 equal sections, 1 section for each wrap. Lay out a lotus leaf in front of you. Place a half portion of the rice mixture into the center of a lotus leaf. With your fingers, shape into a thick flat oval. Add the meat and vegetable mixture over top, shaping the rice with your hands so that it forms a ring around the filling. Add more rice to cover.
Form a square parcel with the lotus leaf and tie it up with twine. Repeat with the remaining lotus leaves.
Steam the lotus leaf parcels, covered, on a heatproof plate in a bamboo steamer for 15 minutes, or until they are done. Serve immediately.