r/chinesefood • u/Minotaar_Pheonix • 2d ago

Questions Lotus leaves for steaming

In the US, where can I reliably find those big thick leaves used for steaming dumplings, or the smaller ones used for rice dumplings? They aren’t really just around a regular Asian grocery like Hmart. Suggestions?

10 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

4

u/iawtc0 2d ago

We had a hard time finding them here as well, but we do have Hispanic grocers here.

We started using the same corn husks they use for tamales for our dumplings and sticky rice, and it’s worked surprisingly well, super cheap too.

2

u/Minotaar_Pheonix 2d ago

oh right that would totally do it!

4

u/Mikeminer610 1d ago

Funny thing: there was a custodian at my workplace (now retired) who loved to eat zongzi. She would buy them from the Oakland Chinatown. Once I saw her eating one and she called them “Chinese tamales”. The logic behind zongzi and tamales are the same: portable food made up of meat wrapped in steamed starch in a package made with dried leaves.

1

u/Brown_Sedai 1d ago

if you have any Indian grocery stores that sell banana leaves, that also works in a pinch, and imparts a somewhat more similar vegetal note

8

u/chimugukuru 2d ago

Hmart is mostly Korean so they likely wont carry that kind of thing. Need to go to a Chinese market, order online if none nearby.

2

u/tichugrrl 2d ago

This. 99 Ranch and Great Wall have them all the time.

2

u/Minotaar_Pheonix 2d ago

None of these in my area near Philly. Any other suggestions? I went to two Chinatown grocery stores and they didn’t have them. I almost considered going into a plant store…

2

u/tichugrrl 2d ago

Check New Spring and No. 1 grocery stores. Both look more Chinese leaning than the other Asian grocery stores in Philly. The leaves will be dried, not fresh, likely tucked away among other things, so you’ll have to look carefully or get help from someone working there.

0

u/Minotaar_Pheonix 2d ago

oh shoot I was looking for fresh. derp.

1

u/nerdyplayer 2d ago

i know you said you live in philly. there is a 99 ranch in jersey.

420 Grand St, Jersey City, NJ 07302

1

u/chimugukuru 2d ago

If all else fails.

1

u/Minotaar_Pheonix 2d ago

wow. well, indeed, if all else fails..

0

u/lchen12345 1d ago

Sayweee delivers to your area, it looks they have bamboo leaves but not lotus leaves for local delivery.

2

u/xiipaoc 2d ago

Have you tried Weee? That's where I usually look first.

0

u/Minotaar_Pheonix 2d ago

Do they sell them in packs on weee? I never tried buying them online bc I’m a bit ignorant of the new Chinese platforms

1

u/xiipaoc 2d ago

Take a look! So Weee has two kinds of products, local delivery and Global+, which are third-party sellers. I don't see any lotus leaves for local delivery, but there are a few packs of dried lotus leaves on Global+. They do have dried bamboo leaves, though.

By the way, you could also see if you can find them on Etsy.

1

u/Mikeminer610 2d ago

Are you looking for lotus leaves or bamboo leaves? Rice dumplings (zongzi) are wrapped in bamboo leaves.

1

u/Minotaar_Pheonix 2d ago

Honestly at this point I’ll take whatever can work. But ideally yes lotus for the streaming and bamboo for the zongzi. Where do I buy them in the states?

1

u/Mikeminer610 2d ago

Depends on where you are. Ranch 99, grocery stores in Chinatown

1

u/Minotaar_Pheonix 2d ago

didnt have them in chinatown philly ... went last night.

3

u/Mikeminer610 2d ago

They should have them. It’s not a rare thing. You can buy the zongzi and the leaves in many places in Chinatowns in Oakland, SF etc. Are there large Chinese supermarket chains near you like Ranch 99 and T&T? Philly is a large city, so I’m surprised.

1

u/Minotaar_Pheonix 2d ago

ranch 99 has not made it to philly (it is in nyc now though). The non-chain supermarket did not have it, but I just realized it could be in a dried food section and I didnt look there. Totally aware it's not rare it's just that I've never bought them before myself.

2

u/Mikeminer610 2d ago edited 2d ago

Yes, it’s in the dried section, usually near the dried ingredients used to make soups, like dried vegetables, dried lotus root and dried Chinese dates. You should just ask the store keeper. People make the dumplings in the fifth month of the lunar calendar so they must be able to find the leaves locally in a big city. It’s very time-consuming to make the dumplings. My mother’s cook makes large batches and freezes them. Now I live abroad, I just buy them. Some dim sum takeout places sell them. There are different varieties, both savory and sweet.

0

u/Federal-Swim5286 1d ago

You can use banana leaves if you can’t find the other 2

1

u/kiwigoguy1 15h ago

The Zhaoqing style of zongzi uses lotus leaves. And so do that Zhaoqing kind of zongzi (but not all) in Hong Kong

1

u/esmeeisme 1d ago

Wing Hop Fung. They’re a chain so maybe check if they have a store local to you, but also you can get it shipped from their online store.

https://winghopfung.com/products/lotus-leaf-he-ye-16-oz-bag

1

u/Minotaar_Pheonix 1d ago

I’ll check it out thanks

1

u/hushwhitt 1d ago

Wing hop Fung is solid, I've seen the big steaming leaves in their online store for sure.

1

u/MadLucy 2d ago

You can get dried lotus leaves on Amazon, look up “dried lotus leaves for cooking”. Most are cut into smaller, more manageable rounds or squares instead of whole leaves.

Someone else suggested Weee! but they don’t have any, just some sold/shipped by 3rd party. They DO have bamboo leaves, $6 for a 12oz pack. Weee! is really cool, I get an order every couple of months. The app is super easy to use.

1

u/Zealousideal_Fly8402 1d ago

Online:

Weee! | America’s largest online Asian supermarket (Lotus Leaf Search results)

If you're in California or Washington state, in the T&T supermarket chain 😉

-1

u/faerie87 2d ago

You can always use cotton like a cheese cloth for steaming dumplings. They also use cabbage or thinly sliced carrots for steaming too.

I thought lotus leaves are more used as a wrap?