Ngormaigai

Name: Ngormaigai
Yield: Makes 6; Serves 12
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 75 ml (5 tbsp) peanut or vegetable oil; 2.5–5 ml (½–1 tsp) tapioca or potato flour dissolved in 15 ml (1 tbsp) water; 900 g (2 lb) white glutinous rice, Thai or Chinese; 5 ml (1 tsp) sugar; 8–10 turns black peppermill; 2.5 ml (½ tsp) salt; 16 medium dried Chinese black mushrooms, reconstituted in 250 ml (8 fl oz/1 cup) water; 10 ml (2 tsp) ginger juice; 6 medium or 3 large dried lotus leaves, rinsed; 5 ml (1 tsp) tapioca or potato flour; 15 ml (1 tbsp) sesame oil; 15 ml (1 tbsp) Shaoxing wine or medium dry sherry; 5 ml (1 tsp) five-spice powder; salt; 115 g (4 oz) roast belly pork, cut into 18–24 pieces; 450 g (1 lb) boned but not skinned chicken thighs; 850–900 ml (30–32 fl oz/1½–1⅔ pints/3¾–4 cups) water; 5 ml (1 tsp) salt; 30 ml (2 tbsp) thick or dark soy sauce; 115 g (4 oz) canned bamboo shoots, diced and blanched; 40 g (1½ oz) dried shrimps, rinsed

Preparation info

Makes 6; Serves
12

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Classic Food of China

By Yan-Kit So

Published 1992

About

The special food for the Dragon Boat or Double Fifth Festival is called zong in Mandarin or chung in Cantonese, and is made of white glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or other leaves into a triangular parcel and boiled for 4–5 hours, if not longer. A simpler version of it – and much easier to prepare – is what the Cantonese call ngormaigai, which is glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaf and often served as a dimsum during the luncheon hours.

Ingredients

Asia
China
Main course

Ingredients

Method