Sticky Rice & Pork wrapped in Lotus Leaf

cling clang cling clang

push, shove

point, shout

bite and sigh

that morsel of yummy dish you had to over step other patrons to get to, is alllll worth it.  

Dim Sum is the one place where manners are thrown out the window.  The snobbish attitude we foodies tend to have would truly offend others,  so let's leave the attitude at home :D  With many array of mini bite size dishes, deliciously stacked in wooden containers, piled high, its nearly impossible to pick one single favorite dish.  Chopsticks fly across the table just to grab a piece from every dish.  Remember, mannerism is non-existent when dim summing, so go ahead! Grab that last piece or someone else will. :)

Unlike many of my Cantonese friends who get to dim sum almost once every week with their family and relatives, I only usually get to go once every 3-4 months.  So wide-eyed, oozing with mad excitement, drooling over dishes with every cart that rolls by, I sometimes wish I was a chef who specialized in dim sum dishes.  Oh to be able to make any of the many yummy dishes at any moments time......... would make me a happy happy camper :D  So to start this off, I decided to conquer one of my favorite dish; Sticky Rice & Pork wrapped in Lotus Leaf.   The scent and flavour of the lotus leaf is infused into the sticky rice and meat when steamed, which makes the dish sooooo darn damn delicious.  If I wasn't so health conscious, I would eat 10 of these :D (in one sitting:DD)

This is my first time making this so its not perfect and definitely has room for improvement. :)  but as a first attempt, not too shabby! )  I would recommend using the dried shitake mushroom verses fresh ones, which I used since I already had some on the ready.

So let's get sticky!  Warning:  You'll need at least 2hrs to prepare this:)  This makes approx. 7 rolls.

Ingredients:
1.  4-5 sheets of dried lotus leaves - your local China Town grocery store will carry this.  Tip, instead of walking around the grocery to look for this, ask someone, it's usually hidden away.
2.  4 cups of glutinous rice - you can purchase this at any asian grocer
3.  5-7 dried shitake mushrooms, diced - reconstituted, reserve the now flavoured water
4.  2 tbsp of dried shrimp - reconstituted, reserve the now flavoured water
5.  garlic beans cut into 1/2 inch in length, 1/4 carrot, grated
6.  1tsp each grated garlic &  ginger
7.  1tsp each chili beancurd paste (I used the korean brand)
8.  1 tsp each dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, chicken stock paste
9.  3/4 pound of ground pork,
10.  1 stick of chinese sausage, lap cheong - diced into small pieces
11.  chinese cooking wine

Soak the glutinous rice for at least 2hrs.

Soak the dried shrimp, reserve the water.

Let's make the stock water for the rice.  In a pot, add the reserved water from the shitake mushrooms and dried shrimp, add more water to make at least 1L of stock.

Add 1tbsp of the chicken stock paste.  2tsp of dark soy sauce.  1tbsp of chinese cooking wine.

Simmer for 10 - 15 mins, allow the flavour to combine and be merry.  Once done, strain the broth. Throw away the shitake mushroom stems.  Set aside.

Once rice is soaked, rinse out the starchy water multiple of times until the water is almost clear.  Drain all water.  Add rice to your rice cooker. Throw in dried shrimp.  Add in the broth to meet the line shown on the rice pot.    You will need to reserve some broth to cook later so be sure there's leftover.

Luckily, my rice cooker has a setting to cook sweet rice, so all I had to do was press start.  :)

While the rice cooks, let's prepare the filling!

Marinade the ground pork with oyster sauce, dark soy and chicken stock paste.

Heat up a pan to medium high, add pork and de-cluster the pork into smaller bits.  Add 1/2 the portion of the grated ginger and garlic.  Stir.  Cook for a couple of minutes.  Add a splash of cooking wine and chili beancurd paste.

Stir and continue to cook for another 1-2mins.  Add in the diced lap cheong.  Stir and cook until brown.  Once done, put into a clean bowl.  Wipe side of pan to avoid oil dripping onto stove.

Next, let's cook the shitake mushroom, diced.  Lower the heat to medium, throw in shitake mushroom and some of the broth you prepared earlier. Add 1/2 of what's left of the grated ginger and garlic.

Stir and cook thoroughly, about 6-8 mins.  Pour into another clean bowl.

Let's cook the vegetables!  Maintain the heat on medium, throw in the garlic green bean, grated carrot, the rest of the grated ginger and garlic and a bit of the broth.

Cook for 3-4 mins.  Turn off heat and pour veggies into another clean bowl.

By this time, your rice will be cooked. :)

Add 3/4 portion of the diced, cooked shitake mushrooms to the rice and mix.

Set aside to cool.

Let's prepare the lotus leaves. :)  This is how it looks when you purchase the leaves, dried flat, folded in half.  You'll need to allow the leaves to simmer in a pan of hot water to soften in order for it to be pliable.  Cut off the middle of the leaf, where the vines meet.  This part is tough therefore not pliable.

Once soften like below picture, rinse and cut in half.  lay flat on counter, just like below.

Gather together the cooked ingredients.

We are almost done!! Let's prepare to wrap these sticky rice!!

Place approximately 1/2 cup of the cooked rice like so.  Make a dip in the rice.

Add some cooked pork and veggies like so.

Add a bit more sticky rice on top, like so.  Begin to wrap one end to the other, like wrapping a burrito, like so.

Once wrapped, tie with a string to hold together.  Repeat process until all the rice is used up.

Taadaaa!!!!  Quite a process eh?  :D   If you wish to eat right away, bring a pot of water, filled 1/4 of the way to boil, place a wire rack in the pot, a plate on top of the wire rack and place the sticky rice on the plate, cover the pot and lower the heat to low, allow to simmer for 30mins.

Your kitchen will be filled with the wonderful scent from the lotus leaf.  Enjoy that scent!  Once steaming is completed, carefully take out each roll.  Snip off the string and slowly unwrap the lotus leaf, revealing the sticky rice. :DDD

For rolls not eaten right away, allow to cool and freeze right away.  Do not defrost prior to steaming.  By steaming the rolls straight from the freezer, you allow longer steaming time, allowing the flavour of the lotus leaf to slowly seep into the sticky rice. :)

Enjoy!