From the menu of . . . Oriental Pearl Seafood Restaurant, 5399 New Peachtree Road, Chamblee. 770-986-9866.
Q: Had the best sticky rice at the Oriental Pearl Seafood Restaurant in Chamblee. Would love to have their recipe. It had Chinese sausage in it and was wrapped in a leaf and was sweet. Thank you for your help.
-- Judy Cook, Doraville
A: Fanny Lee, owner of Oriental Pearl, provided an oral version of the recipe, which we’ve adapted here. Some versions include barbecued pork or boiled eggs, but Lee prefers a simpler filling. All the ingredients are available at the Buford Highway Farmers Market or from an Asian grocery store. The tradition of wrapping food in leaves for steaming or boiling appears in many cultures. Think of Greek dolmades or stuffed grape leaves. In addition to making a convenient packet, the lotus leaves add their own flavor and fragrance to the finished dish.
Is there a restaurant recipe you'd like to make at home? Tell us and we'll try to get it. We'll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can't answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to svanatten@ajc.com and put "From the menu of -- name of restaurant" in the subject line.
Oriental Pearl’s Sticky Rice
Hands on: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Total time: 2 hours, 35 minutes plus overnight soaking
Makes 16 rolls
8 whole dried lotus leaves
4 cups sweet rice
1 (14-ounce) package Chinese-style sausage
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
The day before serving, in a large stockpot, cover lotus leaves with water and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes, pour off water, cover leaves with fresh water and set aside overnight.
When ready to serve, rinse rice in several changes of cold water until water runs clear. In a medium bowl, cover rice with water and soak for 1 hour. Drain rice and put into medium saucepan. Add 4 cups fresh water and cook rice until tender, about 25 minutes. Remove rice from heat and allow to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
While rice is cooking, chop sausages into bite-size pieces. In a large skillet, heat oil. Add chopped sausage, oyster sauce, soy sauce and pepper; saute until mixture is dry, about 5 minutes. Set mixture aside and allow to cool.
Assemble bundle by splitting lotus leaves in half. Lay each half on working surface. Spoon 1/2 (half) cup rice into the center of the leaf, and using dampened hands, pat into a circle 1/2 (half)-inch thick. Spoon 2 tablespoons filling onto center of rice. Fold leaf over meat so that rice encloses the meat. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.
Set leaf bundles in steamer and cook for 15 minutes, or until bundle is heated all the way through. Serve hot.
Per roll: 282 calories (percent of calories from fat, 36), 6 grams protein, 38 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 11 grams fat (4 grams saturated), 17 milligrams cholesterol, 317 milligrams sodium.
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