Dumpling Time!
THE DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL is a traditional Chinese celebration that occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, which corresponds to late May or early June.
The festival commemorates Qu Yuan who was the beloved prime minister of the southern Chinese state of Chu during the Warring States period, about 600 BC to 200 BC.
He drowned himself when he was persecuted by the king for proposing reforms for the people. The locals raced out in boats to try to rescue him, throwing parcels of steamed glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river to keep sea creatures from eating his body.
Today the occasion is celebrated by holding dragon boat races and eating sticky rice dumplings called zongzi.
Recipe
NONYA BAKCHANG
NONYA GLUTINOUS RICE DUMPLINGS
Makes 12 dumplings. This is a 2-day process
WHAT YOU NEED
30 bamboo leaves, washed and soaked until soft and pliable
Kitchen string
Large pot with cover for boiling
Water for boiling
RICE
21/4 cups glutinous rice, soaked overnight and drained
Pinch of salt
4 pandan leaves, cut into matchbox size squares
2 pandan leaves for boiling
2 tablespoons lard oil
2 tablespoons concentrated blue pea colour
Pinch of salt
A little water
PORK FILLING
250g pork belly, cut into little cubes, the size of a pea
250g pork shoulder, cut into little cubes
5 shitake mushroom, soaked in hot water until soft and cut into little pieces
6 pieces candied winter melon, cut into little pieces
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon pork lard oil
1/2 inch galangal, minced
6 shallots, minced
5 garlic, minced
3 tablespoons coriander powder
SEASONING
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon fermented soybean (taucheo)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon gula melaka
Salt to taste
Water if needed
COOK THE PORK
In a wok over medium heat, add the oils and fry the garlic, galangal and shallot until fragrant. Add the coriander powder, then the pork, frying and mixing well. Add the mushroom and candied wintermelon, then mix in the seasoning. Add water if needed to prevent drying out. The texture should be slightly moist and not dried out. Dish out and set the pork mixture aside to cool and infuse overnight in the freezer. It has to be freezer- chilled.
COOK THE RICE
Divide the rice into 2 portions. In a frying pan, add 1 tablespoon of lard oil and fry 1 portion of the glutinous rice, adding the salt and a little water. Fry till moisture has evaporated. Remove and set aside. Add remaining lard oil, salt and the other half of the glutinous rice, as well as the blue pea flower colour. Stir and mix well with a little water. Fry till moisture has evaporated, and remove and set aside. Now you have one portion of white rice and one portion of blue rice.
WRAP AND COOK THE DUMPLING
Take 2 bamboo leaves, overlap them and fold to make a cone leaving no holes. Take a handful of blue rice and fill the bottom and line the sides of the leaves, leaving a well in the centre. Fill in with 2 tablespoons of the pork filling, then top with the white-coloured glutinous rice pressing down. Place a square of pandan leaf, then wrap tightly with string to close and secure the dumpling. Repeat with the rest of the pork mixture and glutinous rice.
Fill a large pot with water, add salt and 2 pandan leaves. Lower the dumplings into the water and bring to boil over high heat. Lower heat to a gentle simmer and close pot. Cook for 21/2 hours. Test doneness with one dumpling. The texture of the rice should be soft when hot but firm and chewy after it has cooled.