Dim Sum, Dim sum, we all eat dim sum :)

I love dim sum!!! Dim sum is not one dish, it is actually a phrase used to describe several smaller dishes (more like appetizers). In our family, we used to go 'yum cha' (kind of like a brunch) during the weekends, which is when we ate dim sum. There are so many delicious dishes to eat, however, there are a few that we always order. My favorites are: xia jiao (steamed shrimp dumplings), xia chiang (steamed shrimp roll), feng zhao (phoenix claws), niu bai ye (steamed beef omasum) and nuo mi ji (sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf). My mom gave me some recipes that she got from a friend and surprisingly, there were recipes for my favorite dim sum (except for the xia chiang). There was also a recipe for niu zha (steamed beef tripe), which is my dad's favorite. I decided to give each one a try and thus far, nuo mi ji and niu zha are the only ones that came out presentable. Nuo mi ji is not too hard to make and would be something fun to do for a dinner party (maybe). For the niu zha, I used a slow cooker to make it. Anyway, nuo mi ji and niu zha are the first two recipes for this post. Others will come in time (that is, when I actually make them successfully!)

Nuo Mi Ji or Lo Mai Gai or Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf
-My version of the original recipe:
 Makes about 8 mini glutinous rice lotus leaf wraps


4 sheets of dried lotus leaf - found at any Asian market
(NOTE: The lotus leaves I had were huge and folded, so when I say 4, I mean 4 huge, folded lotus leaves, maybe they all come that way, but I'm not sure)
Approximately 3.5 cups of sticky rice
3 boneless chicken thighs (can use pork or turkey meat instead)
3 chinese sausages
1 tblsp of dried shrimp
3 or 4 dried shitake mushrooms
3 pieces of dried wood ear mushrooms

Marinade for the chicken (all measurements are approximations)
2-3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sesame oil2 tsp corn starch
a dash of white pepper
a dash of black pepper

Clockwise from top left: dried shrimp, sticky rice soaking in water, marinated chicken-mushroom mixture and sliced Chinese sausage 

Steps

1. Soak the lotus leaves together in luke warm water. 
2. Rinse the sitcky rice and then soak in water for at least an 1 hour. The longer you soak, the better.
3. Soak the shitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms in hot water in separate bowls. The wood ear mushrooms are a bit dirty and need to be cleaned. I generally discard the hard middle parts of the wood ear mushrooms and the stems of the shitake mushrooms.
4. Rinse and soak the shrimp. Drain them when they're soft.
5. Once the mushrooms (both kinds) are soft, flexible and squishy, chop them into very small pieces. You can squeeze the water out of the shitake mushrooms before chopping.
6. Chop chicken thighs into small bite size pieces. Rinse and slice the chinese sausages into thin slices.
7. Mix the mushrooms (both kinds) with the chopped chicken. Marinade the mixture with the marinade ingredients for at least 30 minutes.
8. Take a soaked lotus leaf, cut at the fold and then cut it in half. (You should have 4 smaller sheets). Take 2 leaves, place one on top of the other and put 2 tbsp of rice and top with the chicken-mushroom mixture, 3-4 shrimp and chinese sausage in the center. Put 1.5 Tbsp of rice on top. Wrap the lotus leaves tightly and tie with string to keep everything in place. My wraps end up looking like little squares.
9.Repeat step 8 until all lotus leaves are used up. 
10. There are two methods of cooking, you can either boil them or steam them. If you're going to boil them, you have to make sure that the wraps are tight. You wouldn't want the stuff inside to get out. For boiling, place your wraps into a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about an hour or so. For steaming, place wraps in a steamer and steam for about 2 hours.

Left: Cooked nuo mi ji - still wrapped

Right: YUM! (the sticky rice is covering everything) 

Niu Zha A.K.A. Steamed Beef Tripe

(with Daikons)

1 package of beef trip (the ones from the asian markets are bleached and cleaned, not too sure about the ones in non-asian markets)
1.5 to 2 tbsp of Chu-hau paste
2 Daikons (I used one long and one short one)
2 stalks of green onion
3 cloves of garlic (smash 1 clove and mince the other 2 cloves)
1 chunk of ginger (cut 2 slices and mince, cut lines into the remaining chunk)
1/2 tbsp of sugar
1 to 2 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of wine
2 tbsp of light soy sauce
3 tbsp of dark soy sauce
a dash of sesame oil
a dash of Szechuan pepper powder
dried red chili (optional)
Water

Steps

1. Blanch the beef tripe and then chop into strips (about two inches long and 1/2 inch wide)
2. Chop 1 stalk of green onion into small rings, chop the other stalk into ~ 2 inch long pieces
3. Cut the daikon lengthwise in half, then cut the halves lengthwise in half. Chop into chunks.
4. In a slow cooker, add some water, about 2 cups or so and add the salt, soy sauce, wine, sugar, Szechuan pepper, sesame oil, wine, smashed garlic clove, ginger chunk and green onions.
5. Heat up a wok, frying pan or skillet, add corn oil, and fry the minced ginger, minced garlic and small rings of green onion. Add beef tripe and fry for about a minute. Add a dash of water, to keep from sticking and burning. Add Chu-hau paste and mix. Add daikons and fry for about 2 minutes. Add this to the slow cooker. You may or may not need to add more water or seasoning. You want the water level to almost cover the top of the tripe and daikons.
6. Cook in the slow cooker for about 4 hours or until the the beef tripe is really tender (almost mushy).

Niu zha with daikon

Enjoy!