Glutinous Rice Chicken (Nuomi Ji)

Glutinous rice mixed with chicken pieces, mushrooms, cured sausage and salted egg yolk is wrapped in lotus leaf into a neat parcel and steamed; the rice absorbs the leaf's fragrance and the chicken's savory fat, turning fragrant and yielding.

Originating in Cantonese dim sum culture, the dish entered Nanning through the spread of Cantonese cuisine and blended with local tastes, becoming a common item in Nanning's morning tea houses and night markets.

Unwrap the lotus leaf to release a rush of steam and lotus scent; chopstick-pull the parcel apart to reveal soft glutinous rice enveloping tender chicken—a classic yum cha choice.

The perfect union of lotus-leaf fragrance with glutinous rice and savory chicken makes it one of the most popular items on any Nanning morning-tea table.