When I was a kid, my grandma often made sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves. I loved it, but she lived across the country so when I couldn’t get it from her, it would always be one of the items I ordered at dim sum. There was something kind of magical about peeling open the tightly wrapped lotus leaf package to reveal a perfect square of hot sticky rice loaded with meaty goodness, and I always imagined it was quite difficult and time-consuming to make. So I was pretty excited when my mom told me you could make sticky rice without the lotus leaf. I don’t think it’s quite as good, but it’s so much easier and satisfies the craving. Sticky rice is great to eat by itself, and you can also do fun stuff like roll it into chicken.

Guessipe

• 8 chicken thighs, skin on but deboned
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1 TBSP salt
• 1 tsp pepper

sticky rice

• 4 Chinese sausages, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, chopped
• 4 TBSP oyster sauce
• 1 TBSP salt
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 cups short grain rice, steamed

Pound the chicken thighs flat. Mix together the cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the skin side of the chicken with the cornstarch mixture.

Sauté the Chinese sausage, onion, and mushrooms until the onions are soft.

Add the oyster sauce, salt, white pepper, and green onions. Mix in the steamed rice.

Roll sticky rice into each of the chicken thighs.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.