When I was growing up, it was a tradition in my family to steam Chinese waxed sausages for lunch on the first day of Chinese New Year.
I remember the delectable flavour of the oil rendered from sliced sausages mingling with steamed white rice, to which we cracked a half-cooked egg with runny yolk and served with sliced cucumber.
It was considered a “light” meal to start the day before visiting relatives who would have rich food waiting at their homes.
Place sliced sausage, waxed meat, chicken, mushroom and ginger over the cooked rice.
Over the years, our customs have shifted and now we typically enjoy a vegetarian lunch at our aunt’s house. However, I still long for the simplicity and comfort of those old traditions.
These days, the price of waxed meats has gone up so much they are considered a luxury, particularly those imported from China and Hong Kong which are purportedly dried by the cold north wind during winter months.
I found that local waxed meats now rival the quality of imports since they are similarly seasoned with the Chinese rose wine, or meigui lu, which lends that signature aroma to the sausages.
Steam the claypot for 15 minutes to ensure the chicken is cooked and the waxed meat is rendered.
While many restaurants now offer this dish as a special treat during Chinese New Year, it is remarkably easy to prepare at home. If you do not have a fancy claypot for this dish, a rice cooker works just fine.
Just cook the rice as usual, then fluff up before adding the chicken, ginger, waxed meat and mushrooms.
Then place the whole pot into a deep pot or wok, cover with a lid and steam for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked. After that, pour in the dressing and cover again to allow the seasoning to steep into the rice in the residual heat.
The centrepiece of lap mei fan is the waxed meat. — Photos: LOW LAY PHON/The Star
The traditional mix of waxed meats include pork sausages, liver sausages and waxed duck. As I’m not a fan of waxed duck, I swapped with waxed meat but you can substitute according to your own preference.
Some recipes call for meigui lu to be used in the dressing, but I find its addition overpowering since it is already present in the waxed meats.
The slight bitterness of Shaoxing wine adds a subtle piquancy to the dish instead.
Before serving, it is essential to stir the pot well to ensure everyone gets a balanced portion of rice and each type of meat. That will also bring up the rice at the bottom so that it is not left unmixed.
Lap mei fan
Ingredients
500g long grain rice, rinsed in water and drained
3 cups cold water
1 link Chinese pork sausage, skin removed and thinly sliced
1 link Chinese liver sausage, skin removed and thinly sliced
1 slab Chinese waxed meat or waxed duck, cut into thin strips
5 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water until bloomed
15g fresh ginger, julienned
Marinade250g chicken meat, diced
½ tsp cooking oil
½ tsp sesame oil
½ tsp cornstarch
½ tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Shaoxing wineDressing1 tbsp light soy sauce
¼ tbsp dark soy sauce
½ tbsp oyster sauce
½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp chicken stock granules
2 tbsp chicken stock concentrate
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
¼ tsp sesame oil
Garnish1 sprig spring onion, diced
1 sprig coriander, plucked
DirectionsMarinate diced chicken for about 20 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid from mushrooms and cut into thin slices.
Cook rice as usual in a cooker and allow to steam for about 10 minutes before fluffing up. Transfer fluffy rice into a claypot.
Comforting preserved meat claypot rice a special festive treat.
Place marinated chicken over the top of the rice and spread julienned ginger all over the chicken. Arrange sliced sausages, waxed meat and mushrooms over the chicken and rice.
Steam the whole claypot over boiling water for about 15 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.
Drizzle dressing over the rice, then cover with a lid for 10 minutes to allow the flavours to steep in. Alternatively, bring dressing to a boil and drizzle over the rice at the table.
Garnish with spring onions and coriander, then stir the rice and meat well before portioning out to serve.
