-
1
Combine the diced chicken with the soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch and turn to coat evenly, so the cornstarch seals the surface and holds the marinade against the meat rather than letting it weep into the rice later. Set aside while the remaining components are prepared. The chicken is ready when the surface is lightly opaque and the marinade has been absorbed rather than pooled.
-
2
Submerge the soaked, drained glutinous rice in a steamer basket lined with muslin or perforated paper and steam over vigorously boiling water until the grains have swelled and turned translucent at the edges but retain a firm, chalky core at their centre — this 80% cook leaves the rice able to absorb the seasoning liquid and finish cooking inside the parcel without turning to paste. Remove from the heat and fold through the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and strained shiitake soaking liquid until the grains are evenly coated.
-
3
Examine each soaked lotus leaf: it must be deep olive-green throughout, fully pliable, and release its characteristic hay-and-smoke scent when handled, because a leaf that has not soaked long enough will crack during folding and leave the parcel open to escaping steam. A leaf that splits when folded should be returned to the warm water until it bends cleanly. This is where the dish lives or dies: a torn leaf cannot seal the parcel, and an unsealed parcel steams the rice unevenly and loses the aromatic exchange between leaf and grain.
-
4
Lay one lotus leaf flat on the work surface — use two overlapping if the leaves are small — and place a quarter of the seasoned rice in the centre, spreading it into a rough rectangle. Arrange a quarter of the sliced lap cheong, shiitake, and marinated chicken over the rice, then cover with a further layer of rice, enclosing the filling completely so the filling is insulated on all sides and cooks gently in the steam trapped by the parcel rather than drying at the edges. Fold the sides of the lotus leaf over the rice, then fold the top and bottom to produce a firm, sealed rectangular parcel, and secure with kitchen twine or a strip of lotus leaf stem; repeat for the remaining three parcels.
-
5
Arrange the parcels seam-side down in a steamer basket over vigorously boiling water, so the weight of the parcel presses the seam shut and prevents it from opening as the steam pressure builds inside. Cover tightly and steam for 30–40 minutes; in the final 10 minutes, the characteristic hay-and-smoke aroma of the heated lotus leaf should be clearly perceptible above the steamer without lifting the lid, confirming the leaf has reached temperature and is perfuming the rice. If the aroma is absent, check for insufficient steam pressure or a parcel wound too tightly with twine.
-
6
Remove the parcels from the steamer and rest for 2 minutes. Bring to the table unopened; the release of steam and lotus-leaf aroma as the parcel is cut or unwrapped at the table is integral to the dish.