Lo mai gai
Encyclopedia
Lo mai gai, pronounced in Cantonese speaking regions or Nuo mi ji pronounced in Mandarin
speaking regions, is a classic dim sum
dish served during yum cha
hours. The dish is also called steamed glutinous rice
with chicken in lotus leaf wrap.
food. It contains glutinous rice filled with chicken, Chinese mushroom
s, Chinese sausage
, scallion
s and sometimes dried shrimp
. The ball of rice is then wrapped in a dried lotus
leaf and steamed. In North America
, banana
, lily, or grape
leaves may be used instead.
In Malaysia and Singapore
, there are two variants of lo mai gai. The first is the original Cantonese version and the other a takeaway style served at coffee shop
s and speciality local dim sum shops. The takeaway style has glutinous rice served with chicken and are usually made by companies such as Kong Guan.
Due to the flexibility of the lotus leaf, lo mai gai is typically wrapped to form a rectangular parcel. Zongzi
is wrapped using bamboo
leaves into a triangular based pyramid (tetrahedron
).
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
speaking regions, is a classic dim sum
Dim sum
Dim sum refers to a style of Chinese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates...
dish served during yum cha
Yum cha
Yum cha , also known as Ban ming , is a Chinese style morning or afternoon tea, which involves drinking Chinese tea and eating dim sum dishes...
hours. The dish is also called steamed glutinous rice
Glutinous rice
Glutinous rice is a type of short-grained Asian rice that is especially sticky when cooked. It is called glutinous Glutinous rice (Oryza sativa var. glutinosa or Oryza glutinosa; also called sticky rice, sweet rice, waxy rice, botan rice, biroin chal, mochi rice, and pearl rice, and pulut) is a...
with chicken in lotus leaf wrap.
Description
Lo mai gai is mostly a southern ChineseNorthern and southern China
Northern China and southern China are two approximate regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions has never been precisely defined...
food. It contains glutinous rice filled with chicken, Chinese mushroom
Shiitake
The Shiitake is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed in many Asian countries, as well as being dried and exported to many countries around the world. It is a feature of many Asian cuisines including Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai...
s, Chinese sausage
Chinese sausage
Chinese sausage is a generic term referring to the many different types of sausages originating in China. It is commonly known by its Cantonese name "Lap Cheong" or "Lap Chong" .-Varieties:...
, scallion
Scallion
Scallions , are the edible plants of various Allium species, all of which are "onion-like", having hollow green leaves and lacking a fully developed root bulb.-Etymology:The words...
s and sometimes dried shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
. The ball of rice is then wrapped in a dried lotus
Nelumbo nucifera
Nelumbo nucifera, known by a number of names including Indian Lotus, Sacred Lotus, Bean of India, or simply Lotus, is a plant in the monogeneric family Nelumbonaceae...
leaf and steamed. In North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
, lily, or grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
leaves may be used instead.
In Malaysia and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, there are two variants of lo mai gai. The first is the original Cantonese version and the other a takeaway style served at coffee shop
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
s and speciality local dim sum shops. The takeaway style has glutinous rice served with chicken and are usually made by companies such as Kong Guan.
Variant
Sometimes lo mai gai is divided into smaller wraps, which are known as chun zhu gai (珍珠雞) literally meaning "pearly chicken" in Chinese.Due to the flexibility of the lotus leaf, lo mai gai is typically wrapped to form a rectangular parcel. Zongzi
Zongzi
Zongzi is a traditional Chinese food, made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. They are cooked by steaming or boiling. Laotians, Thais, and Cambodians also have similar traditional dishes. In the Western world, they are also known as rice...
is wrapped using bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
leaves into a triangular based pyramid (tetrahedron
Tetrahedron
In geometry, a tetrahedron is a polyhedron composed of four triangular faces, three of which meet at each vertex. A regular tetrahedron is one in which the four triangles are regular, or "equilateral", and is one of the Platonic solids...
).
See also
- ZongziZongziZongzi is a traditional Chinese food, made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. They are cooked by steaming or boiling. Laotians, Thais, and Cambodians also have similar traditional dishes. In the Western world, they are also known as rice...
- Bánh tẻ
- Bánh tétBánh tétBánh tét is a Vietnamese savoury but sometimes sweetened cake made primarily from glutinous rice, which is rolled in a banana leaf into a thick, log-like cylindrical shape, with a meat or vegetarian filling , then boiled. After cooking, the banana leaf is removed and the cake is sliced into...
- Bánh chưngBanh ChungBánh chưng is a traditional Vietnamese cake which is made from glutinous rice, mung bean, pork and other ingredients. Its origin is told by the legend of Lang Liêu, a prince of the sixth Hùng Vương, who became Hùng Vương's successor thank to his creation of bánh chưng and bánh dày, which...
- Lotus leaf wrapLotus leaf wrapLotus leaf wrap may refer to:*Lo mai gai, a lotus leaf-wrapped Cantonese dim sum.*Zongzi, a lotus leaf wrap served in Dragon Boat Festival....
- TamaleTamaleA tamale — or more correctly tamal — is a traditional Latin American dish made of masa , which is steamed or boiled in a leaf wrapper. The wrapping is discarded before eating...
- PamonhaPamonhaPamonha is a traditional Brazilian food. It is a paste made from fresh corn and milk, boiled wrapped in corn husks. Variations may include coconut milk. Pamonhas can be savoury or sweet, the latter being the norm in north-east Brazil...
- PastelesPastelesPasteles are a traditional dish in several Latin American countries. In Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean coast of Colombia, and Panama, it is similar to a tamale. In Central American cuisine, it more closely resembles a British pasty or an Italian calzone.In...
- HallacaHallacaIn Venezuelan cuisine, an hallaca typically involves a mixture of beef, pork, chicken, capers, raisins, and olives wrapped in maize , bound with string within plantain leaves, and boiled or steamed afterwards. It is typically served during the Christmas holiday...
- CorundaCorundaCorunda is a Mexican food, similar to tamales, but wrapped in a long green corn plant leaf, and folded, making a triangular shape. Eaten with cream and red salsa, filled with masa mix and usually without a meaty filling. They're steamed till golden before being eaten, and then, one unwraps the leaf...
- SumanSuman (food)Suman is a rice cake originating from the Philippines. It is made from glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk, and often steamed in banana leaves. It is served wrapped in buli or buri palm leaves and usually eaten sprinkled with sugar...