Lor Mai Chi
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Lor Mai Chi
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Lor Mai Chi (Simplified/Traditional Chinese: 糯米糍; Pinyin: Nuòmǐ cí; Cantonese: lo mái chì / noh máih chìh) are soft glutinous-rice dessert balls rolled in coconut, commonly filled with crushed peanut sugar or sweet bean paste—a Cantonese sweet on Dim Sum trays and bakery shelves in Guangdong and Hong Kong.[1][2]
Characteristics
Texture is stretchy and sticky, often compared to Japanese mochi, though Cantonese bakery versions are frequently softer and more tender than dense pounded mochi cakes.[3] The exterior is snowy with desiccated coconut, which also keeps pieces from sticking. Soft filling cue: classic peanut–sugar (sometimes with sesame) offers crunch against the chew; red-bean paste, black sesame, and modern mango or green-tea flavors appear in cha chaan teng and bakery cases.[1] Served cold or at room temperature. Soft aroma cue: coconut and roasted peanut first, then mild rice sweetness—not fried oil. Keep distinct from savory Lo Mai Gai (lotus-leaf sticky rice) despite similar Cantonese "lo mai" wording, and from soup-based Tangyuan.
Ingredients (overview)
Glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour); sugar; coconut shreds or flakes; peanut or red-bean / black-sesame filling; optional coconut milk, cornstarch, or oil for a softer dough. Soft craft overview: steam or cook a flour batter/dough, cool, wrap filling, roll in coconut—overview only, not a recipe. Soft gluten note: despite the English word "glutinous," the flour is gluten-free sticky rice starch. Related sweets on Chinese Rice Snack and Dim Sum pages include Sesame Ball and Tangyuan.
History and culture
English summaries often place the pastry in Foshan / Guangdong Cantonese sweet-making and note it as one of the most standard Hong Kong bakery and dessert-shop items, also common in overseas Chinatown bakeries.[1][3] Soft naming: Mandarin speakers say nuomici; Cantonese romanizations vary (lor / lo / lou mai chi). Soft cultural role: afternoon tea, festival gift boxes, and casual takeaway rather than a banquet centerpiece. Soft cross-Asia note: cooks compare it to other sticky-rice sweets across East and Southeast Asia, but the coconut-coated Cantonese ball with peanut or bean paste is the local identity. Soft folk claims of a single inventor are rare and should stay soft; documentable modern bakery fame is clearer than an ancient named recipe date. Distinct from savory sticky-rice Lo Mai Gai and from pounded festival cakes such as Ciba.
Serving and variations
Dessert plate, paper cupcake liner takeaway, or bakery box. Soft variation: peanut vs red bean vs black sesame vs fruit purees; coconut-milk enriched dough vs water-based dough; mini bite size vs larger bakery balls. Soft pairing: milk tea or plain tea in Hong Kong cafe settings. See Dim Sum, Tangyuan, Sesame Ball, and Lo Mai Gai.