Lor Mai Kai

This post is a little behind. I actually made this Dim Sum on last Friday night. Lor Mai Kai is one of my hubby's favourite Dim Sum. One little plate costs me $1.50 to buy from outside, so I thought it would be a better idea to try to make it.



Only manage to get 5 Lor Mai Kai yesterday using the small aluminium tray. It tasted quite good though I would prefer the rice to be a little softer. Adding a little ginger juice would definitely spice up the taste. But the weather is so hot nowadays and the kids are not quite well (darren recovering from his long cough, olina still on mc this week for her lung infection, karina seems to be losing appetite ), so I decided to omit that. I've followed the method in KC closely.

Lor Mai Kai
Yields 5 servings

Ingredients

Toppings
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into big chunks
5 preserved chinese mushrooms, soaked to soften
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp Hua Diao Chinese Cooking Wine（花雕酒）
1 tsp ginger juice (optional)

Rice
300g glutinous rice, washed and soaked for at least 4 hrs
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp sugar

Method
1. Marinate the chicken pieces with the seasoning for at least 2 hours.
2. Heat up some oil in a wok. Fry the chicken over high heat for about 2 mins. Add the mushrooms and fry for another 2 mins till the chicken are semi-cooked or just cooked. Remove and set aside.
3. Add a little more oil into the wok. Fry the rice with the rice seasoning till the rice gets sticky (about 5-8 mins). I added a little water along the way to simmer the rice a little and to prevent it from sticking to my wok. I will probably add more water the next round to soften the rice more.
4. To assemble, place 2-3 pieces of chicken and a piece of mushroom into a round aluminium tray or small bowl. Top up with rice and press the rice down.
5. Steam over high heat for 45 mins.
6. Invert the tray/bowl onto a plate to remove the Lor Mai Kai before serving.


Mood: happy

Siew Mai

Decided to make Siew Mai for lunch today. I had marinated the fillings yesterday night for it to have the full flavour.



Siew Mai

Ingredients
200g round wanton skin

Fillings
430g minced meat
4-5 stalks of spring onions, chopped finely
8 water chestnuts, chopped finely
1 carrot, chopped finely
6 chinese mushrooms, soften and chopped finely

Seasonings
2 tsp rice wine
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp corrainder powder
2 & 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
Dash of pepper
2 tsp cornflour



Method
1. Combine all fillings with seasonings and mix well. Leave covered in the fridge to season overnight.
2. To wrap the Siew Mai, take a piece of wanton skin and place in your palm. The side with more flour should be facing up. Place 1 tbsp of fillings in the centre of the skin. Wet the edge of the skin with water (to help it stick).
3. Put the wanton skin and fillings onto the right hand. Close the opened wanton skin and fold up the edge by gently grabbing the filings and moving your fingers upwards towards the edge of the skin (like closing a wide opened rose). At the same time, use your left thumb to flatten the fillings down as your right hand round up the skin around the fillings. Your right thumb and index finger should be forming a circle around the Siew Mai, all 3 other fingers wrapping around the Siew Mai. Apply more water to the outside of the skin, if necessary, to stick the skin together.
4. Place the Siew Mai on a greased steamer and steam for 12 minutes. Serve hot.

Note:
- Use meat with some fats. Lean meat will not be nice for Siew Mai.
- The Siew Mai will taste even better with prawns. I usually prefer prawns to be cut in small pieces instead of minced to give it more texture. If you do use prawn meat, reduce the amount of minced meat.
- You can garnish the top with a little cooked salted egg yolk.


Mood: pleased