MY BAK CHANG RECIPE

Still on the topic of rice dumpling (aka Bak Chang in Hokkien dialect)….

After a dissatisfied try on the rice dumpling in a restaurant (see my previous entry), I have decided to make my very own rice dumplings, for the first time ever.   The idea was to make something similar to what DS and I had eaten at the restaurant last week in terms of size and shape, instead of the traditional pyramidal shape.  Well, the truth is I don’t know how to make the traditional shape which requires special wrapping skills.  I wished my late granny who was very good at making rice dumplings had lived longer and I had learned the skills from her!  In fact, one of my aunties (my late granny’s daughter) is also very good at making rice dumplings but she has stopped doing so in recent years due to old age.

Ingredients wise, I kept to the same types as what my late granny used to use, but I added dried scallops and Chinese sausage.  Those days, it was not common to use these two ingredients as they were less affordable.

Ingredients used (before I stir-fried them separately) : dried prawns, dried chestnuts, dried mushrooms, dried oysters, pork belly, Chinese sausage and dried scallops.  Pork belly meat was seasoned with soya sauce, sesame oil, five-fragrance powder (五香粉), pepper and black sauce.

Glutinous Rice that has been stir-fried with soya sauce, pepper, sesame oil, oyster sauce and black sauce.

And this was how I wrapped them….

Rinse the leaves and strings with warm water, soak them for 3-4 hours and clean up.

Lay a layer of lotus leave, and a couple of Bak Chang leaves on a bowl.

Add in some glutinous rice and spread it evenly.

Spread out the ingredients on the glutinous rice

Add on another layer of glutinous rice and spread it evenly to cover up the ingredients before wrapping up.

Done.  I then cooked them in a pot of boiling water (with a small quantity of salt added), in low fire, for about two and a half hours.  I was not very sure how much time was actually needed but the timing seemed right.

And here’s my home-made rice dumpling!

So, how was the verdict?  Well, although there is still room for improvement, it certainly gave me a sense of satisfaction and pride as I ate it.  The flavours from the dried prawns and dried oysters also reminded me of the rice dumplings made by my late granny.  If I ever made them again in future, I will use less glutinous rice, and give it a stronger flavour.

DS said it scored 7/10 and this was better than those ate at the restaurant last week!

HE MADE MY DAY!!