Sticky Rice with Chicken in Lotus Leaves (Luo Mi Ji/Lo Mai Gai)

A Dim Sum favorite. In Taiwan we had "Jongzi," or "Ba Tsang" as we say in Taiwanese, which is sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves - traditional fare for Dragon Boat Festival. My grandmother made the absolute bestest, most delectable Ba Tsang ever! They were loaded with fatty pork, shiitake mushrooms, chestnuts, and fresh bamboo braised in soy sauce, and dried shallots - all seasoned with a touch of Five Spice powder. My first taste of this Cantonese version using lotus leaves was at a dim sum restaurant in LA back in the early eighties. The lotus leaves impart an almost tea-like flavor to the rice that's very distinctive and different from bamboo leaves. 

I've never mastered the art of wrapping Ba Tsang, which involves using multiple bamboo leaves and deftly wrapping the rice and filling into a tight little triangular package - a real IQ test. But I've managed to do ok with lotus leaves because the method is very similar to making a burrito. And I know how to make burritos...so there!