Everything About One Thing, Rice Dumpling

粽 子

Rice Dumpling

Rice dumpling is a traditional Chinese food made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaf.

Contents Origin Duan Wu Festival Dialects Interesting Facts Family Recipe Ingredients Ways of eating Recipe

Origin of Rice Dumpling 来源 The story best known in modern China holds that the festival commemorates the death of the poet and minister Qu Yuan of the ancient state of Chu during the Warring States period of the Zhou Dynasty. A cadet member of the Chu royal house, Qu served in high offices. However, when the king decided to ally with the increasingly powerful state of Qin, Qu was banished for opposing the alliance and even accused of treason. During his exile, Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry. Twenty-eight years later, Qin captured Ying, the Chu capital. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River. It is said that the local people, who admired him, raced out in their boats to save him, or at least retrieve his body. This is said to have been the origin of dragon boat races. When his body could not be found, they dropped balls of sticky rice into the river so that the fish would eat them instead of Qu Yuan’s body. This is said to be the origin of zongzi (Rice dumplings).

端 午 节

Duan Wu Dragon Boat aka

FE S TIVAL The Duanwu Festival, also known as the Dragon Boat Festival, is a traditional holiday commemorating fealty and filial piety. The festival now occurs on the 5th day of the 5th month of the traditional Chinese calendar.

The usual English name for the holiday, “Dragon Boat Festival,” directly translates into two alternative Chinese names for the holiday, 龍船節 and 龍舟節.

The official Chinese name of the festival is 端午节 on the mainland, Malaysia and Singapore and 端午節 in Taiwan,Hong Kong and Macao.This is pronounced variously in different Chinese languages. In Mandarin, it is romanized as Duānwujié on the mainland and Taiwan; in Cantonese, it is romanized as Tuen Ng Jit on Hong Kong and Tung Ng Jit on Macao. All of these names refer to its original position as the first seventh day in the fifth month of the traditional Chinese calendar.

People’s Republic of China use “Dragon Boat Festival” as the official English translation of the holiday, while Hong Kong calls it the “Tuen Ng Festival”and Macao calls it “Dragon Boat Festival” in English and “Festividade do Barco-Dragão” in Portuguese.

Among Malaysian, Singaporean, and Taiwanese Hokkien speakers, the festival is also known as the “Fifth Month Festival,” the “Fifth Day Festival,” and the “Dumpling Festival.” In Indonesian, the festival is known as “Peh Cun”, which is derived from Hokkien (扒船).

In Mandarin we called it

“Zong

Zi”

In English we called it

“Rice

Dumpling” In Malay we called it

“Kuih

Chang”

In Hokkien we called it

“Bak

Chang”

In Hakka we called it

“Zong

Zai”

In Cantonese we called it

“Zongg ” In Teochew we called it

“Ba

Chang”

In Cambodia we called it

“Nom

Chang”

Dialects

方 言

Interesting Facts 有 趣 知 识

Rice dumplings are very filling. So it is best to wash them down with a hot cup of Chinese tea.

Don’t eat zongzi too close to bedtime or you’ll give yourself indigestion .

Rice dumplings should not be stored in a sealed container because they need fresh air to “breathe” in order to maintain their flavours.

Family Recipe

Conversation WITH MY

Mother

DID YOU ENJOY MAKING RICE DUMPLING WITH GRANDMOTHER WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER?

No I would say. Last time I had to prepare all the ingredients including washing the bamboo leaves one by one and also setting up the fire place. Last time we didn’t have gas stove so I had to use charcoal. It takes more effort when it comes to charcoal cooking. I had to watch the fire and add charcoal from time to time. I didn’t really liked it because I got all sweaty doing all the chores plus with the weather in Malaysia. It takes about 6 to 7 hours to cook without pressure cooker. I had to make about 5060 pieces per year too.

AS YOU MENTIONED BEFORE, YOU MADE QUITE AN AMOUNT OF RICE DUMPLINGS ONE SHOT AND SHARED THEM WITH YOUR NEIGHBOURS AND RELATIVES. DO YOU THINK THIS IS A WAY OF SHOWING OFF IN TERMS OF SKILLS? Not really showing off. But during the festive season, people tend to just share and exchange what they have made. So, in return we will do the same. Plus, it is more worth the effort and cost when it comes to makeing a larger amount. It is more cost effective.

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT OF TEACHING ME HOW TO MAKE PROPER RICE DUMPLINGS?

I myself didn’t like the process of making it. I don’t think you will like it either. Plus, we are only a family of 4, the maximum we will had is only about 10 pieces. I don’t think it is worth doing it ourselves as the cost of setting up and getting ingredients are already quite high. I would rather just get it from the morning market. They have many different choices as well.

DO YOU FIND IT HARD TO MAKE THE RICE DUMPLINGS?

I wouldn’t say it is hard to make but it is very time consuming. Even wrapping all the ingredients in the bamboo leaf isn’t challenging if you get the trick and technique. Preparing the ingredients is very very time consuming. I had to carefully filter each glutinuous rice to separate them with normal rice. Last time, the rice seller would mix both of them together and sell it and I had to separate them myself in order to have a tastier rice dumpling.

WHAT FILLINGS IN THE RICE DUMPLING DO YOU USUALLY MAKE? IS THERE ANY FAMILY RECIPE HAVE CHANGED THROUGHOUT THE YEARS? Pork, chestnut, mushroom and red bean paste. I would have to pre-cook everything one by one before wrapping them into the bamboo leaf. We used to only put in these ingredients because salted egg yolks are considered as an expensive ingredient. Not everyone are able to afford to put that into their rice dumplings. But seems like salted egg yolk has become something very common nowadays and it is no longer an expensive ingredient.

I did not enjoy it.

I did not enjoy it.

I did not enjoy it.

I did not enjoy it.

I did not enjoy it.

I did not enjoy it.

我不喜欢做

我不喜欢做 不喜欢

我不喜欢做 不喜欢

我不喜欢做 不喜欢

我不喜欢做 不喜欢

我不喜欢做 不喜欢

以前你和外婆一起做粽子 是吗？你喜欢做吗？ 是的。可是我不是很喜欢做因为它 有很多步骤要做才能得到最后的结 果。而且我是自己一个做，我其他 的兄弟姐妹们都没有帮忙。我必须 把粽叶一片一片洗干净再把他们抹 干。很多工。加上以前我们没有电 炉所以需要用碳来煮，我需要一直 看火加碳。我不喜欢做因为我们马 来西亚本身的天气已经很热了又加 上碳煮过程跟加热。总共需要差不 多六到七个小时才能完成包粽子到 煮好的过程。我每一年也得做差不 多50-60粒粽子。

那为什么你没有想过教我 做呢？ 我自己本身已经不喜欢做了我不觉 得你会喜欢做。再加上我们一家人 也只有4个人，我们最多也只不过 吃差不多10粒。没必要自己做。会 很浪费时间准备材料和包粽子。我 觉得要是我们是自己做的话，又做 不到很多，实际上是会更加贵过出 去外面买回来吃。而且现在早市也 有买不同的口味，要什么有什么。

你之前有讲过你们一年会 一次过做50-60粒。为什 么做那么多呢？是拿来炫 耀吗？ 不是拿来炫耀。但是是因为是季节 时期所以大家就会做了再拿去分发 给人家一起分享。而且也是比较便 宜如果做一大批。

你觉得会很难做粽子吗？ 做是不会很难可是还是要强调那个 准备的过程。很花时间。其实包粽 子的时候也不会很难，只要抓到他 的技巧就会很容易了。而是准备材 料的时候，我必须把糯米和白米一 粒一粒分开它们，确保粽子的品质 是有水准的。以前买米的人会把白 米和糯米混合在一起买因为这样他 能赚跟多。糯米本身是比较贵的食 品，所以要是把它们混合在一起了 就能偷工减料。

什么馅料的粽子是你时常 做的？我们家传的食谱有 换过吗？ 平时都会做有猪肉，栗子，红豆 沙, 香菇, 在里面。但是以前我们 没有能力买那么多材料我们就只 是放这几样而已。现在大家都应 该会加咸蛋黄或者是虾米。以前 咸蛋黄算是个昂贵的食物所以不 是每个人都能吃得到。

你觉得粽子的价值不和以 前一样了吗？因为现在你 何时何刻都能吃得到。 不是季节也能吃得到。 我赞成。我觉得现在我轻易就能吃 得到粽子。以前要是我们想在不是 季节的时候吃我们需要自己做。 现在要是我去早市走一趟我就能买 得到各式各样的粽子。但是我觉 得如果是在英国我觉得可能还是不 容易找得到，因为华人可能没有这 样多。

Conversation Grandmother WITH MY

IT TAKES

6 6 6 6 6 6

hours hours hours hours hours hours

TO COOK.

HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT MAKING RICE DUMPLINGS?

I learned it from my friends. There used to be a story about the making of rice dumplings. During the olden days, we believed that if one of the family members died, we are not allowed to make rice dumpling for the whole year.

We believed that the process of ‘tying rice dumpling’ would actually ‘tied up the souls of the deceased’. Therefore, we tried to avoid that. There was once my sister’s mother in law passed away and our whole family could not make rice dumpling at home. I really wanted to eat rice dumpling during that time and so I asked help from one of my friend. I told her the whole situation and she said she would be happy to teach me how to make rice dumpling at her house.

DO YOU HAVE ANY FAMILY RECIPE THAT YOU ALWAYS PRACTICE? ANY SPECIAL INGREDIENTS THAT YOU WILL ALWAYS PUT IN THE RICE DUMPLING YOU MADE? I am from a Hokkien family, so we would prefer a more Hokkien style rice dumpling. But it still depends on ourselves. Usually we are free to put what ever ingredients that we would want to eat inside the rice dumpling. I personally prefer to make a double sided rice dumpling. One side of it would be sweet-based, which includes red bean paste and another would be salty-based, which includes pork slice, mushroom and dried shrimp.

SO DOES THAT MEAN THAT YOU DID NOT LEARN THE PROCESS OF MAKING RICE DUMPLINGS FROM YOUR PARENTS?

Yeap. I did not get a chance to make rice dumplings at home because I have 4 elder sisters. They would actually helped out my mother during the making process. 4 sisters’s help is more than enough already. However, I do have the urge to learn how to make, so I went over to my friend’s house and learn from them while helping out their family. I like the process of making rice dumplings.

Basically, I like home-made food. I like how my children are able to eat what I have made.

IS THERE ANY SPECIAL RICE DUMPLING THAT YOU HAVE MADE BEFORE? Usually we will make the traditional ones, which includes pork belly, mushroom, chestnut and dried shrimp. I used to help in the temple near my house and they made vegetarian rice dumpling.

Vegetarian rice dumplings has coriander powder, pepper and mince quorn. The difference between a vegetarian ones and the non-vegetarian ones would be the meat obviously, but also the taste of the coriander powder.

CAN YOU BRIEFLY TELL ME THE WHOLE PROCESS OF MAKING A RICE DUMPLING? We will start with the bamboo leaves.

You would need to clean each of the leaves one by one and wipe it with a wet cloth. Then make a cone out of the bamboo leaves and start putting in glutinous rice into it. Make sure the green bean paste does not touch the glutinous rice or else the rice will not be cooked as the green bean paste is sweetened. We used to cook with firewood and it takes up to 6 hours.

WHERE DO YOU THINK IS THE SPECIALTY OF THE RICE DUMPLING?

CAN YOU TEACH ME TO MAKE RICE DUMPLING WHEN I BACK TO MALAYSIA?

I think it would be the making process.

If someone were to make a homemade rice dumpling, they usually will put whatever food that we want into the rice dumpling. Rice dumpling became a very personal food when it comes to the making. You can avoid putting in things that you hate and maybe add more of those that you really like. For example, dried oyster, dried scallop and even abalone.

Yes of course! Whenever you want! It does not need to be near to Duan Wu festival to make rice dumplings. The ingrediets are available all year long. It would not be a problem, definitely!

DID YOU ENJOY MAKING RICE DUMPLING? I enjoyed it very much! I enjoyed home-made food especially for festive purposes. But ever since I aged, I no longer make rice dumpling so often.

There are too many procedures to be done by my own. Sometimes I would go over to my neighbour’s house to help them out instead. I used to have to wake up at 3am just to start making the rice dumpling and my children is still asleep.

By the time they wake up, those rice dumplings are ready to be eaten.

DO YOU THINK MAKING RICE DUMPLING IS DIFFICULT? The making is not actually difficult, as long as you understand the techniques.

But, it is just very time consuming. If there were more people to help each other out in the making process, it would not be that bad. The ingredients preparation and the washing are the steps that will take the longest time. But since we have refrigerator nowadays, one does not need to complete all preparations in a day. You can prepare the ingredients in a day and wrap them the next day if you want to. It would not be that bad actually.

DO YOU THINK THE MAKING OF RICE DUMPLING WILL BE LOST PASS ONE DAY? I guess so. The younger generations nowadays are richer and lazier. They would rather just go to the market and buy them instead of making it themselves. It is more convenient in a way. However, I think it would not be lost pass as well since the demand for rice dumpling is still there but maybe more towards a commercialize basis instead of a home-made ones. Maybe the making of rice dumpling would happen more in a factory for commercial purposes rather than something that is made at home to bond with each family members.

你以前是怎么学包粽子？ 我是跟朋友学的。故事是这样的。 以前要是有人去世，又没有绑粽子 来祭拜祖先的话，那一年就不能 绑粽子。传说中会绑到去世的人所 以不大好这样做。有一年就是因为 我的姐姐的家婆去世她就不能做粽 子给我们吃，平时都是我姐姐会 做给我们一家人吃。但就是因为有 人去世所以就不能做。可是我又很 想吃。我就去找我的朋友教我做粽 子。我告诉他我的状况，然后她就 说她能教我做，去买材料。

所以就是说你以前没有和 家人一起做粽子？你是和 朋友一起做？ 我以前在家都没有机会包粽子，因 为我有4姐姐所以简单来说，我妈 妈都不需要我的帮忙。我姐姐都会 帮忙。但是我又很想学做，我就向 我的朋友请教。我喜欢自己做来给 我的孩子吃。那时候你妈妈还小， 我喜欢看我的孩子吃到我做的粽 子。我向我的朋友学了一次之后我 就会做了。过后的几年我就在家里 包粽子。

你有什么材料是家传的 吗？一些特别的材料是你 每次包粽子时都会放的？ 我本身是福建人所以就会做比较倾 向福建的口味。但是也是看自己 啦，自己喜欢吃什么就会放什么。 我本身是喜欢放两边的粽子。一边 甜一边咸。甜的就会有红豆沙或黑 豆沙，咸的就会有猪肉虾米那些 东西。

你以前有做过什么特别的 粽子吗？ 平时都会做咸的粽子。但是有时候 我回去佛堂里帮忙。他们是做素食 的。素食的粽子里面会有芫茜粉， 胡椒粉，素鸡肉，香菇，栗子。分 别就在有芫茜味和没有芫茜味。

你可以完整的告诉我粽子 的制作过程吗？ 当然是从粽叶开始。把它弄成一个 三角形然后放一汤匙炒好的糯米进 去，然后放一块猪肉，一粒豆沙再 用另一块猪肉盖着豆沙。如果豆沙 动到糯米，糯米就不会熟。因为豆 沙是甜的。盖好了那个以后就能放 其他的，比如说香菇，栗子等等。 当包好了之后，我们会用柴来烧， 差不多要煮6个小时。

你觉得粽子的特别在哪里？ 制作过程。要是是自己做的大家都 会放自己喜欢吃的东西进去。有些 人喜欢放蚝干，有些人喜欢放蚶 贝，咸蛋等。

你喜欢做粽子吗？ 我很喜欢做。但是现在老了也很少 做了。太多过程来制作粽子。有时 端午节要到的时候我会去邻居家帮 他们做罢了。很少自己做了。以前 我会早上3am起床开始制作粽子。 全部人还在睡觉时我开始包，当我 的孩子起床后粽子都熟了能吃了。

你觉得包粽子会很难吗？ 包是不会很难可是就是很花时间。 但要是有人帮忙一起做是还差不 多。材料准备和最后清洗的步骤是 最麻烦的。但是现在我们大家都有 了冰箱，不一定要在同一天一次过 做完所有步骤。煮好的料能放进冰 箱隔天再包。

等我回国以后，你能教我 做吗？ 可以没问题！几时都能，现在不一 定是在端午节才能吃到了。材料也 不会难找到。

你觉得粽子的制作有一天 会失传吗？ 可能会。现在的年轻人有钱又懒 散，都不要自己做了。他们觉得去 外面买比较方便。可是我又觉得不 会失传，因为粽子还是需要人工才 能做得到。没有即食的粽子。但是 可能会变得很商业化。都是工厂制 作，很少会是家里制作的了。

2 hours for buying.

2 hours for soaking.

2 hours for blending.

2 hours for chopping.

2 hours for ingredients.

2 hours for preparing.

2 hours for making.

2 hours for wrapping.

2 hours for steaming.

2 hours for boiling.

2 hours for enjoying.

- Grandmother

Ingredients

Bamboo Leaf The aroma of a flavourful leaf.

Steaming food wrapped in leaves is a popular cooking technique throughout of Asia, including bamboo, lotus and banana leaves.

Bamboo or lotus leaves, favored in Chinese cooking, are usually used to wrap flavored glutinous rice. Bamboo leaf length are usually about 17-18 inch and width 4.5 inch.

To prepare bamboo leaves, boil briefly in water and soak overnight.

Drain and weigh down with a heavy opject to keep the leaves from curling. Wrap food. When they are cooking, the house is filled with the wonderful smell of bamboo.

When you open them, they steam with a cocktail of aromas from the bamboo leaves.

These natural wrappers lend their herbaceous aromas to the food and help keep the food moist. Bamboo leaves can also be used to line the pan for cooking rice cakes, meat patties and other dishes.

獚 �

Glutinous Rice Not just any other rice.

糯 繳 Glutinous rice is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia and the eastern parts of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose content, and is especially sticky when cooked. It is called glutinous in the sense of being glue-like or sticky, and not in the sense of containing gluten.

The fillings used for rice dumplings vary from region to region, but the rice used is almost always glutinous rice. Depending on the region, the rice may be lightly precooked by stirfrying or soaked in water before using.

Compared to normal white rice, the caloric and carbohydrate content in glutinous rice is lower.

Aside from being as an ingredient, it was believed that glutinous rice was used to make the mortar in the construction of the Great Wall of China. Glutinous rice starch is often used as a vegetarian glue or adhesive as well.

Shiitake Mushroom Earthy, meaty, smoky.

Shiitake mushrooms were originally cultivated in China and Japan. Like portabellas, shiitakes have a meaty texture. Cooking brings out their earthy, smoky flavor.

In a 100 gram amount, raw shiitake mushrooms provide 34 calories and are 90% water, 7% carbohydrates, 2% protein and less than 1% fat.

Raw shiitake mushrooms are rich sources of B vitamins and contain moderate levels of some dietary minerals. When dried to about 10% water, the contents of numerous nutrients increase substantially.

錙 �

Dried shiitakes require soaking before you can use them. The best method to soften a shiitake is a long soak in lots of water for 8 hours or overnight.

Put the mushroom in a bowl, add water, and tumble the shiitake around to wet them. Then turn them so the absorbent gills point down. Snapping off the stem with fingers or hack them off with cleaver beforehand is one of the options too.

Pork Belly Layers of goodness.

Pork belly is a boneless cut of fatty meat from the belly of a pig. This dish is considered a delicacy in many parts of the world.

3 layer pork belly is often used in the making of rice dumpling as with a mixture of fat and lean meat, it creates a very exquisite taste towards the rice dumpling. With a hint of salt, pepper and soy sauce, it spices up the whole taste towards the rice dumpling.

çŒŞ 肉

Salted egg is pickled in salted brine solution or packed in damp, salted charcoal paste, giving it its salty flavour. The brined egg yolk has transcended Chinese cuisine, where it is an accompaniment to porridge, tucked into mooncakes or used by cooks to make a sauce for pork ribs, crabs, prawns or deep-fried fish skin.

According to the American Heart Association, a diet high in cholesterol and salt can raise blood cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Despite all of the health disadvantages that salted egg might bring towards our body, eating it in a moderation and knowing the limit is a must.

Perfect touch.

Salted Egg Yolk

咸 蛋 靄

I use......

Different ways to eat rice dumplings.

Chopsticks ç­ˇ ĺ­?

Different ways to eat rice dumplings.

Chopsticks are shaped pairs of equal-length sticks that have been used as kitchen and eating utensils.

Chopsticks are smoothed and frequently tapered and are commonly made of bamboo, plastic, wood, or stainless steel. Chopsticks are held in the dominant hand, between the thumb and fingers, and used to pick up pieces of food.

People often eat rice dumplings with a pair of chopsticks because the strength towards the chopsticks are more controlable and also to avoid tearing the bamboo leaves apart while eating. Some of them loved to eat straight from the bamboo leaves instead of taking the rice dumpling out and placed on a plate because they wanted to have the leaves’ aroma.

Due to the sharp ends of the fork, it may tear up the bamboo leaves while eating the rice dumpling. Some people might find it hard to master the chopsticks skills and there comes fork as the best alternative to properly eat the rice dumpling other than using the chopsticks. A fork will be able to poke the meat together with glutinous rice for the best savoury results.

A fork is a tool consisting of a handle with several narrow tines on one end. Food can be lifted either by spearing it on the tines or by holding it on top of the tines, which are often curved slightly.

Fork

ĺ?‰ ĺ­?

Traditional Alkaline Nyonya Fried

BEFORE THAT DAY: 1. Cut the pork belly into chunks, about 3cm in size. Mix with marinade and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. Sauté the mushrooms until aromatic. Mix with the seasonings. Set aside.

2. Rinse mung beans and rice separately. Soak mung beans for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain well and mix with seasonings. Soak rice for at least 1 hour. Drain well and mix with seasonings.

3. Soak glutinous rice overnight.

ON THAT DAY:

传 统 粽 子

1. Stir fry the dried shrimp, mushrooms and chestnuts.

2. Season the glutinous rice. Over low heat, stir fry the rice with shallot oil. Top with fried shallot.

Ready to wrap the dumplings.

3. Select 2 bamboo leaves. Overlap them by 80% of the area. Starting at 1/3 lengthwise from 1 end, bend the leaves to form a cone.

4. Create a well in the cone by filling with 1 tbsp of sticky rice. Then add a layer consisting all of the precooked fillings and top the end with glutinous rice.

5. Fold the leaves around the pouch, and secure with cooking string.

6. Boil water in a heavy based pot. Make sure all the rice dumplings are completely submerged in water.

7. Cover the pot with a lid, and cook over medium heat for 2 hours.

Traditional Rice Dumpling Ingredients: Glutinous rice

Red bean paste

______________

Bamboo leaves

Green bean paste

______________

Chestnut

Salted egg

______________

Pork belly

Dried shrimp

______________

传 统 粽 Traditional 子

BEFORE THAT DAY: 1. Wash glutinous rice until the water runs clear.

2. Place rice in a tub, cover with water, and leave to soak overnight.

3. Wash the bamboo leaves, and leave to soak.

ON THAT DAY:

1. Drain the glutinous rice.

2. Add the alkaline water, and stir this through the rice. Leave aside for 30 to 40 minutes.

3. Whilst waiting for the alkaline water to permeate the rice, drain the water from the bamboo leaves.

Pat the leaves dry with a cloth.

4. Select two leaves, and place them in opposite directions.

5. Form leaves into a cone.

6. Fill it with the glutinous rice, until you reach the brim of the cone.

7. Fold the leaves around the pouch, and secure with string.

8. Boil water in a heavy based pot. Make sure all the rice dumplings are completely submerged in water.

9. Cover the pot with a lid, and cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 hours.

10. Leave to cool, and serve with palm sugar syrup.

碱 水 粽

Alkaline Rice Dumpling Ingredients: Glutinous rice

Red bean paste

______________

Bamboo leaves

Green bean paste

______________

Chestnut

Salted egg

______________

Pork belly

Sugar syrup

______________

碱 水 Alkaline 粽

THE BLUE RICE: 1. Wash glutinous rice until water runs clear.

2. Bring blue pea flower and water to a boil. Then leave to cool and strained.

3. When cooled, add the blue coloured water into the smaller portion of the rice.

4. Add more water to ensure the rice is fully submerged. Leave to soak overnight.

5. The next day, drain the soaked blue coloured glutinous rice.

6. Season and mix well with salt, white pepper and lard oil.

FILLINGS: 1. Chop onion, garlic, pork, winter melon and mushroms into dice pieces.

2. Fry onion, garlic, pork and mushroom with low heat.

3. Add dark soy sauce, water and stir everything together.

4. Add in chopped winter melon and let it simmer over medium low heat.

5. Lastly, add in coriander powder and mix well.

娘 惹 粽

Nyonya Rice Dumpling Ingredients: Glutinous rice

Mushroom

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Bamboo leaves

Green bean paste

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Onion, garlic

Blue pea flower

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Pork belly

Dried shrimp

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娘 惹 Nyonya 粽

PREPARATION: 1. Mix the sticky rice flour, rice flour, baking soda and salt in a blow well. Add water gradually and stir and knead until the mixture has the consistency of modeling clay.

2. Mix the grated coconut sugar in blow and put it on the stove and stir well until the coconut mixture thickens.

3. Coat your palm and fingers with oil. Take two tablespoonful of dough and make to form a small ball and flatten it with your hands. Put a spoon of coconut mixture in the center and roll it securely into dumpling.

4. Fry all the dumpling in deep oil. When dumplings become redden, turn them over and continue frying.

5. Take out the fried dumpling and drain the oil. It can be enjoyed with plain tea.

炸 粽 子

Fried Rice Dumpling Ingredients: Glutinous rice

Coconut sugar

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Bamboo leaves

Frying oil

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Flour

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Baking soda

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炸 粽 Fried 子

by: Vanessa Lee