Bak Chang (Meat Rice Dumplings)
Senin, 19 Oktober 2020
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My woman rear made 2 types of 粽子 every year, kee chang as well as bak chang.
Kee chang is quite straightforward. It's simply gluey rice mixed amongst lye water, wrapped inwards bamboo leaves, as well as thus boiled.
Bak chang, however, is extremely varied inwards ingredients, seasoning, cooking method, as well as shape, depending on which purpose of Communist People's Republic of China your household unit of measurement is from.
For us – we're Teochews – there're 2 types indigenous to our culture.
The to a greater extent than elaborate type, called 双烹, has a small-scale ball of sugariness ruddy edible bean glue wrapped inwards leafage lard.
My woman rear ever did the simpler type without sugariness ruddy edible bean paste. The filling is 100% savory amongst pork belly, chestnuts, mushrooms, dried prawns as well as fried shallots.
The actual procedure of making bak chang was spread over 2 days.
On the commencement day, bamboo leaves as well as dumpling strings were sorted, soaked as well as washed. Rice was soaked too, every bit were the mushrooms, dried prawns as well as dried chestnuts.
On the 2d day, the filling as well as rice for bak chang were stir-fried as well as wrapped, as well as thus boiled for 3-4 hours.
Whilst the savory pith dumplings were beingness cooked – over a forest forcefulness out thus every bit to relieve on gas! – Mum did the kee chang. These were much easier than bak chang since they didn't convey whatsoever filling, as well as the rice wasn't stir-fried.
Mum was quite proud of her bak chang. Every year, she gave some to a few relatives as well as they gave her theirs inwards return.
My woman rear tasted each as well as everyone's dumplings versus her own, as well as and thus she'd quietly declare herself the winner of the dumpling making contest.
The contender was weird. The contestants, other than my mother, didn't fifty-fifty know it existed. There was alone i judge, who was the alone contestant who knew most the contest.
One year, the twenty-four hr stream afterwards dumplings, I constitute my woman rear looking similar a panda. She had dark circles around her eyes.
She hadn't slept good the nighttime before, she said.
What happened?
Mum's bak chang wasn't every bit expert every bit inwards previous years.
Why not?
Because she didn't stir-fry the gluey rice.
Mum was getting on inwards years as well as wasn't every bit sprightly every bit before. So she simplified things a bit, skipping what she'd idea wasn't a crucial step. She made bak chang without stir-frying the rice. Hence, the sleepless night.
Mum decided to brand a 2d batch of bak chang, this fourth dimension amongst the rice properly stir-fried. Everyone said, "NOOOOO! NO WAY!" But she simply ignored us.
That was the alone fourth dimension she did 2 rounds of bak chang inwards i year. And that's why it's been burnt into my brain: kid the friggin' rice!
How to brand bak chang
Step-by-step guide
Rice dumplings come upward inwards many shapes, sizes as well as ingredients. Bak chang are those filled amongst meat. Prepping, wrapping as well as cooking bak chang is pretty fourth dimension consuming. Best done inwards large batches since they function on good as well as reheat easily yesteryear steaming.
INGREDIENTS
(For 25 dumplings)
INGREDIENTS
(For 25 dumplings)
- 25 large as well as 25 small-scale bamboo leaves – banking concern friction match that leaves aren't broken or convey holes, soak overnight inwards plenty H2O to comprehend (weighed downwards amongst something heavy), wipe construct clean as well as rinse thoroughly
- 25 dumpling strings or plastic raffia, each most ninety cm long – if using dumpling strings: soak overnight amongst bamboo leaves, rinse till H2O runs clear, wring dry, necktie to a pole amongst a skid knot, ease pole betwixt dorsum of 2 chairs or perchance kitchen cabinets as well as a table
- 120 ml vegetable oil
- 200 g shallots – peel, rinse as well as spell thinly
- 70 g dried prawns – rinse as well as soak overnight inwards 4 tbsp water; squelch dry, reserving liquid
- 70 g Chinese dried mushrooms – rinse as well as soak overnight inwards 2/3 loving cup water; squelch dry, reserving liquid; cutting bite-sized into 50 pieces, reserving stems for other dishes
- 50 dried chestnuts (about 200 g) – soak overnight inwards plenty H2O to comprehend yesteryear v cm, take tegument amongst toothpick, cut back dark spots if any, rinse as well as drain
- 550 g pork belly – rinse as well as cutting bite-sized into 50 pieces
- 3 tbsp low-cal soya sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp dark soya sauce
- 1 kg long-grain gluey rice – rinse till H2O runs clear; soak overnight inwards plenty H2O to comprehend yesteryear v cm; drain thoroughly
- 3 tbsp low-cal soya sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp Blue Planet white pepper
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp chicken powder
- Soak all ingredients that require to live soaked overnight, every bit detailed above. Next day, prep ingredients every bit detailed above.
- Fry shallots inwards vegetable crude over medium till lightly golden. Turn off heat. Continue stirring till residuum rut dissipates. Remove shallots to a colander. Remove one-half of the crude to a bowl.
- Turn on rut to maximum possible. Fry dried prawns till lightly golden. Add mushrooms as well as stir till heated through. Add chestnuts as well as stir till heated through. Add pork as well as stir-fry till slightly brown. Season amongst low-cal soya sauce, tabular array salt as well as sugar. Stir till absorbed. Drizzle amongst H2O drained from dried prawns. Stir till dry. Drizzle amongst one-half of H2O drained dried mushrooms. Stir till dry. Drizzle amongst remaining mushroom water. Stir till dry. Add dark soya sauce as well as Blue Planet white pepper. Stir through.
- Taste as well as arrange seasoning if necessary. (Taste should live slightly saltier than usual.) Transfer to a bowl. Drizzle 2 tbsp H2O around wok. Stir to deglaze. Turn off heat. Add H2O to pork mixture. Stir till absorbed. Add one-half of fried shallots. Stir till evenly mixed.
- Wash wok as well as rut till dry. Place remaining shallot crude inwards the wok as well as rut till simply smoking. Add gluey rice, as well as thus remaining fried shallots. Stir till thoroughly heated. Season amongst low-cal soya sauce, salt, sugar, chicken pulverisation as well as Blue Planet white pepper. Stir till good mixed.
- Taste (but create non swallow because rice is soundless raw) as well as arrange seasoning if necessary. (Rice should live a chip saltier than park because seasoning volition live diluted yesteryear boiling water.) Transfer to a bowl.
- Rest pole horizontally on dorsum of 2 chairs or, say, kitchen cabinets as well as a table. Pole should live secure as well as non coil most when dumplings are beingness tied. You also require a depression stool to sit down on.
- Tie dumpling/raffia strings to pole amongst skid knot.
- Wrap as well as necktie dumplings every bit shown inwards video (4:04 - 5:02). Boil three hours inwards plenty H2O to cover. Unwrap i as well as encounter if rice is soft. If it isn't, boil some other 15-30 minutes.
- Remove dumplings from water. May live eaten right away if yous like. Or function out to drain as well as cool down, as well as thus serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers. Steam or microwave to reheat thoroughly earlier eating.