以前喺香港，飲茶真係一件好平常嘅事。

星期六日，一家人去酒樓飲茶，蝦餃、燒賣、叉燒包、糯米雞，食來食去都係嗰幾款點心，但偏偏就食極都唔厭。

離開香港之後，先發現原來點心都可以變成「奢侈品」。

馬來西亞飲茶都仲算平，但英國同美國就真係唔同講法。一籠燒賣隨時要接近五英鎊，換返做港幣都夠喺香港食兩三籠。

於是，自從移居海外之後，我開始奉行一個原則：

想食咩，就自己學整。

網上有食譜、有影片，慢慢摸索，竟然發現好多以前以為好難整嘅食物，其實都可以喺屋企完成。

點心，自然亦不例外。

雖然未必做到酒樓師傅嗰種百分之一百嘅味道，但如果有八、九成相似，其實已經足夠令人心滿意足。

今次挑戰嘅，係我家Jason最鍾意嘅點心之一——糯米雞。

糯米雞嘅靈魂，當然係糯米。

除此之外，仲要有雞肉（我用雞髀肉）、冬菇同臘腸。至於自己食嘛，加隻鮑魚落去都唔算太過份啫！

最近我仲將配方升級，多加咗肉碎做餡料。

結果每一隻都份量十足，打開荷葉嗰刻香氣四溢，糯米吸晒肉汁同冬菇香味，再加埋鮑魚，真係非常滿足。

老實講，而家自己整嘅版本，餡料仲多過好多酒樓賣嘅糯米雞。

食完一隻，基本上已經飽晒。

有時諗返轉頭，移民生活雖然令我離開咗熟悉嘅地方，但亦因為咁，學識咗好多以前唔會做嘅事情。

例如包糯米雞。

原來有啲味道，即使離開咗香港，都可以自己親手包返出嚟。🍳

New Home Cook in Britain | Abalone Sticky Rice Chicken

Back in Hong Kong, Dim sum was simply part of everyday life.

On weekends, it was common for families to gather at a restaurant and order basket after basket of siu mai, har gow, barbecue pork buns, and sticky rice chicken. We ate the same dishes over and over again, yet somehow never got tired of them.

It wasn’t until I moved overseas that I realized dim sum could become a luxury.

In Malaysia, dim sum is still reasonably affordable. But in the UK and the United States, it is a very different story. A basket of siu mai can easily cost around £5 — enough money to enjoy two or three baskets back in Hong Kong.

Since moving abroad, I have adopted a simple philosophy:

If I want to eat it, I’ll learn how to make it myself.

With countless recipes and videos available online, I gradually discovered that many dishes I once thought were difficult were actually possible to recreate at home.

Dim sum was no exception.

It may not taste exactly like what a professional dim sum chef would make, but if I can achieve 80–90% of the flavour and satisfaction, I’m more than happy.

This time, I decided to make one of Jason’s favourite dim sum dishes — Sticky Rice Chicken.

The heart of the dish is, of course, the sticky rice.

Then come the fillings: chicken (I use chicken thigh meat), Chinese mushrooms, and Chinese sausage. And since I was making it for my own family, adding an abalone didn’t seem too extravagant at all!

Recently, I even upgraded the recipe by adding seasoned minced pork to the filling.

The result was a generously stuffed sticky rice chicken packed with flavour. When the lotus leaf is opened, the aroma immediately fills the room. The sticky rice absorbs all the juices from the meat and mushrooms, while the abalone adds an extra touch of indulgence.

To be honest, my homemade version probably contains more filling than many restaurant versions these days.

One is enough to leave you completely full.

Sometimes I think that although moving overseas has taken me far away from the familiar sights and flavours of Hong Kong, it has also taught me many things I would never have learned otherwise.

Like wrapping sticky rice chicken.

Because some tastes from home do not need to be left behind.

Sometimes, all it takes is a lotus leaf, a little patience, and the willingness to recreate them with your own hands.

---

At Home Wherever I Am

Some flavours travel with us, no matter how far from home we go. 🍳