Huiji Herbal Steamed Rice in Lotus Leaf 药膳荷叶蒸饭

I believe many would agree that Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf is ranked as one of the staples in a traditional Cantonese Dim Sum restaurant. As much as I like it, I do know that glutinous rice is a not advisable for people with gastritis as it's difficult to digest. I happen to have 2 gastritis patients at home. Therefore, I had to think out of the box and replace glutinous rice with Japanese short-grained rice when cooking this version of Huiji Herbal Steamed Rice in Lotus Leaf 药膳荷叶蒸饭. Really, texture wise, there's no significant compromise by using short-grain rice instead of the traditional glutinous rice. 

I had again applied Huiji Waist Tonic in this dish. The bottle of goodness which include cordyceps (虫草), ginseng  (人参), du zhong (杜仲), dang gui (当归), he shou wu (何首乌) and jujube  (大枣) was just too convenient for cooking purposes. Having cooked a previous dish with Huiji, I knew the taste would not go wrong, plus the nutritional benefits it would deliver, I was actually happy to add them onto my Huiji Herbal Steamed Rice in Lotus Leaf 药膳荷叶蒸饭.

Ingredients (enough for 4 pax) :

• 2 cups Japanese short-grain rice (washed, rinsed, soaked for 1 hour and drained)(approx. 1/2 cup rice per pax)
• 1 whole big lotus leaf (to be cut into 4 for wraps after slow cooking and cleaning)
• 150 gm skinless and boneless chicken fillet (chopped to chunks)
• 8 pcs dried mushrooms (soaked till softened and coarsely chopped)(keep the mushrooms water for cooking use)
• 2 pcs Chinese sausages/lup cheong (腊肠)(thinly sliced)
• a small handful of dried scallops (干瑶柱)(soaked till softened, then shredded)
• 1 tbsp dried shrimps (soaked till softened)
• 1 tbsp goji berries
• 1 stalk of chopped spring onions (for garnishing)
• 1 stalk of chopped coriander (for garnishing)
• strings to fasten lotus wraps for steaming

Seasonings : 

• 50 ml Huiji waist tonic 
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine 
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp five spice powder
• a dash of grounded white pepper
• 4 thin slices ginger (finely chopped or minced)
• 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped or minced)
• 2 cups water (use the water that's used to soak mushrooms)
• cooking oil
• sesame oil (for marinade)

(tsp = teaspoon; tbsp = tablespoon) 

Method :

1. Soak Japanese short-grain rice for 1 hour prior to cooking.
2. Soak whole big piece of lotus leaf in a big pot or wok. Turn on low heat and let it slow boil for 1 hour. This process would rid of stubborn dirts and soil particles from the lotus leaf. 
3. Meanwhile, marinade chopped chicken fillet with a little salt, light soy sauce and sesame oil. Set aside. 
4. When 1 hour time's up, remove lotus leaf from pot/wok. Rinse lotus leaf in running water till clean and all sand particles removed.
5. Spread lotus leaf on a flat surface to pat dry and air dry. 
6. Heat a little cooking oil in a big pot and add all ingredients and seasonings into it. 
7. Stir all ingredients and seasonings evenly at low heat.
8. Turn off heat once ingredients and seasonings are evenly mixed.
9. Use a pair of scissors to cut lotus leaf into 4 portions.
10. Scoop rice and ingredients into a bowl first before transferring onto lotus leaves. This would ensure every packet gets the same portion size.
11. Fold each packet carefully and fasten with a string if necessary.
12. Send wrapped lotus leaf rice to steam for 60 to 90 minutes (subject to your preference on the texture of the rice) in low-medium heat. Check occasionally and top up water should the water level goes down in the pot or steamer.
13. When time's up, open up one packet to check. If rice is fully cooked to your satisfaction, remove all from steamer, garnish and serve whilst hot.

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Mother's Day may be fast approaching, it's still not too late to learn and cook something nourishing for your mother or/and wife.  The Huiji infused dishes may just be something unique for all.

If you are interested to know more about Huiji Waist Tonic, please click here. They are currently running a Mothers' Day bundle special promotion. A great gift to be considered for your beloved Mother & Wife.