Bamboo Steamer Rice

Bamboo Steamer Rice

　　The biggest characteristic of Shenzhen’s bamboo steamer rice is the rich aroma of lotus leaves deeply infused into the fragrant rice, achieved by tightly wrapping the rice in lotus leaves and steaming it for a long time. Of course, there’s more to it than that. The taste of lotus leaf bamboo steamer rice is quite similar to clay pot rice—aromatic, richly flavored, and available in choices such as mushroom chicken, cured meats, braised dishes, and seafood rice. Clay pot rice features a thick layer of crispy rice at the bottom, which is fun to scoop out with a spoon, while lotus leaf bamboo steamer rice offers a simpler experience, where the intense fragrance is complemented by the subtle aroma of lotus leaves. The inspiration for creating lotus-scented rice came from Guangdong’s traditional dish, glutinous rice chicken.

　　Bamboo steamer rice is delicious to eat but complex to make. In general, the process involves stir-frying the rice before steaming it. Taking the popular mushroom and wood ear chicken bamboo steamer rice as an example, the lotus leaves are first blanched, then drained and topped with coriander, red chili, and scallion slices. The chicken is cut into pieces, dried, and marinated, then stir-fried with seasonings and wood ear mushrooms, followed by thickening the sauce. The rice is stir-fried with eggs, placed on top of the chicken and wood ear mushrooms, wrapped in lotus leaves, and then slowly steamed in a steamer basket. The aroma of the lotus leaves gradually seeps into the rice, resulting in this authentic Chinese-style innovation: bamboo steamer rice.