Lo Mai Gai

Lo Mai Gai is a traditional Cantonese dim sum dish made from glutinous sticky rice, marinated chicken pieces, shiitake mushrooms, and sweet Chinese sausage. The mixture is seasoned with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sometimes dried shrimp for extra umami. Everything is then wrapped tightly in lotus leaves to be steamed.

Because the lotus leaf locks in moisture, the best way to reheat Lo Mai Gai is by steaming it for about 10 to 15 minutes until the sticky rice is hot and tender again. Alternatively, you can microwave it, but you should sprinkle a little water over the rice first and cover it with a damp paper towel to prevent it from drying out. Steaming preserves the original fragrant texture much better.

Yes, you can make Lo Mai Gai without lotus leaves by using parchment paper or aluminum foil to wrap the sticky rice mixture before steaming. However, the lotus leaves are essential for imparting the dish's signature earthy, slightly sweet, and tea-like aroma. If you skip the leaves, the dish is often simply called "sticky rice in foil."

While the core ingredients like sticky rice, chicken, and mushrooms are naturally gluten-free, the marinades used in traditional Lo Mai Gai usually contain regular soy sauce, which has wheat. To make it entirely gluten-free, you simply need to substitute the soy sauce and oyster sauce with gluten-free tamari and gluten-free oyster sauce. The glutinous (sticky) rice itself does not contain wheat gluten.