Kuih Kapit @ Coconut Love Letters

Duck motif

When I was a kid, I didn't know how to pronounce this properly... Koi Kapek, Koi Kapiat or even Gugapek, hahahahaha!

Each year, I will look forward to the precious two cans my maternal aunts will pass to us when we visit them on Chinese New Year day 1. And when I was 9 (I think), my siblings and I pestered my mom to make our own. Two cans each year just wasn't enough!

Purple Spiral Taro Mooncake ~ Natural Colour

I just made these out of curiosity.

They didn't really turn out well, as I find the crust to be not well baked. And there's no flaky effect.
So, there's no need to share the recipe.

But I'd like to share with you, how I got my purple streaks, without the use of any artificial food colouring.

Taro Paste Mooncake Filling 芋头月饼馅

I had a big nice Guangxi Taro left after Chinese New Year, and so I tried making this.
Yup, I made moon cakes in February. :)

Somehow, I prefer the non fried version, that yields a more powdery filling. This one has a texture similar to lotus paste, although not as heavy.

Granite Tang Yuan 石头汤圆 - Balls #3

I saw this special form of tang yuan many years ago and had been hoping to try it out. Finally I did.
Every year, I do hope to make some  for the winter festival (although there's no winter here), but I just never made some, because no one bothers about it and just end up only me "shiok sendiri".

I was lazy to wrap fillings and decided to serve it 'muah chee style'. Now it looks like pebbles on sand...
I am thinking whether I can construct an aquarium bowl to serve it, complete with aquatic plants, fish and maybe prawns, haha, but that will be sooo big. It's just a crazy idea.

Mine look more like marbles and if you take a look at my source's granite balls, they look sooo real and nice.

I kept mine for more than 6 hours, soaked in room temperature water, waiting for my hubby to come home from work. I reheated the granite balls in the microwave, still submerged in water. Drained them and put them on the peanut sand. He enjoyed his after dinner dessert, saying the peanuts were the loveliest touch.

Granite Sticky Rice Balls
Idea adapted from: maimaidejianguo

200gm glutinous rice flour
14gm or 1 Tbsp butter
90ml boiling water
1-2 Tbsp water

1 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp bamboo charcoal powder

3/4 cup ground roasted peanut + 1/3 cup castor sugar (roughly 2:1 ratio)

1. Bring 1/2 cup of water to boil on a saucepan.
2. Measure the flour and butter and put it in a bowl. Make a well and when the water has  boiled, measure 90ml water into the well. (You can either use  6 Tbsp or a measuring cup, or weigh 90gm of water with the mixing bowl directly on the scale)
3. Mix it with chopsticks or a fork. Add in 1 Tbsp of room temperature water and knead (it might still be very warm, but it won't  burn your hand). Add  more water if it's needed and knead until a dough forms.
4. Divide  dough into 4 parts  and  knead 1 part with  charcoal powder and 1 part with cocoa  powder.
5. Roll each part into long logs, with equal length. flatten them and stack. Cut the stack into half and stack.
6. Cut the stacked dough into smallish pieces, it's ok if they are not in exact sizes.
7. Roll them into pebble shapes.
8. Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Put the balls of  dough into the  boiling water. Let them boil until they float. Lower the heat to medium low and let them simmer for another 2-3  minutes.
9. Remove the dough balls from the water and serve with peanut sugar.

You can serve these in light syrup too, of which is the usual way.

Blog on Break :)

See you in January for AFF Hong Kong Macau with a chicken week.

Blackforest Ice Cream Mooncake - Stone Fruits #1

Like I told you, I don't like eating tradtional mooncakes, but I never said, I don't like all sort of mooncakes. This is ice cream, made in the form of mooncakes. Give me any amount, I'll gladly take them! LOL

I had this idea, that instead of making carrot juice yolks, why not I just use beautiful cherries as the moon ?
I have a few other crazy ideas in my head, but I think let's leave them for next year and I hope I get them realized instead of letting them stored up in my brain. This idea was actually thought of last year in 2012 but until now, whatever I planned last year, haven't been done.

Traditional Mooncake

My first attempt at making mooncakes. So bear with me, the mooncakes don't look perfect.
I don't bake everything perfectly each time and I'm not shy to admit it.

It's ok, it's a been there, done that. And for those of you who have been asking me whether I have mooncake recipes, here you go.
I don't know if I'll make more mooncakes, as in baked mooncakes, real mooncakes as I seriously don't enjoy eating a lump of filling. It's just a personal thing.

Guangxi Rice Dumplings (zongzi) 广西粽子 - Wrapped # 3

As you all may know, my mom is a KwongSai (Guangxi).

My first endeavour making rice dumplings was when I was about 15. I was very excited and this was my first time doing so. No one in the house made rice dumplings ever since grandaunt last did it. No one knew how to do it actually, or would bother to do it because it is considered something very troublesome.

Sesame Beancurd Crisps 芝麻巧果 - CNY Crispies # 3

This is another traditional Chinese snack. There are 2 types, one is called DanSan 蛋散 and another QiaoGuo 巧果. You probably might have heard about the word DanSan from Southpark, Cantonese version. Cartman(fat boy) is known as Dansan in the translated version. Dansan is also used to describe someone who is useless. "Lei jek dansan la, zhan mou yoong!" 你只蛋散啦，真没用

What's the difference between these 2?

Woo Ha (Crispy Taro Shreds, Hong Kong Style) 港式芋虾 - CNY Crispies # 2

Woo Ha .... It literally translates as Taro Prawns. A Cantonese Chinese New Year Treat.

Is it almost extinct here? Is it so?

I'm not sure. But I think it's not very well known because it was super tedious to make. Very!!! And expensive too. Taros are not cheap.

Nian Gao Taro Rolls - CNY Week #3

 

My father’s 2nd younger sister, my “Sai Ku Cheh 小姑姐” told me last year about how her friend fried her nian gaos. She found it to be very delicious because nian gaos are sweet and when contrasted with a slightly salted coconutty taro filling, it tasted fabulous.

This year, with a nian gao given by my neighbor, I tried out the method she recommended. It was a refreshing change from the usual methods of eating. I gave some to neighbours from both sides and brought them to Mike’s shop. No one knew what I was serving them until they bit into the roll : ). It was fun making people guess. They all thought I was serving them spring roll.

**Charissa, please tell your mom we all loved this version.

Nian Gao Taro Rolls
Recipe source: Wendyywy inspired by Grace Ho
Taro Filling
500gm taro (芋头, keladi )(cleaned weight)
100gm fresh grated coconut
2 Tbsp sugar
1/3- ½ tsp salt (use 1/3 tsp first, taste and add more if needed)
1. Slice taro and steam until cooked(soft).
2. Mash taro while it’s still hot and put in coconut, salt and sugar. Mix until well combined

Assembly
300gm nian gao, cut into 2 inch long strips (mine were anywhere from 8-12gm each)
Spring roll wrappers (125mmX125mm)
Egg white to brush on edges

1. Place wrapper onto a flat surface, eg: a plate.
2. Place 1 tbsp of taro filling onto wrapper (I used 20gm filling since I had about 32 pieces of nian gao), lightly spread it out.
3. Place 1 pc of nian gao onto taro and wrap (see pictures)
4. Brush edge with egg white before rolling up.
5. Fry the prepared rolls in medium- medium low heat until golden.

Frying was a breeze, no splattering and even the wrapping is hot hard to do, because the taro filling is not soggy wet but easy to handle cos it won’t fall apart.
I made about 29 rolls from this recipe.

The sunlight today was bad, my pictures had high noise problems. Somehow I'm beginning to hate taking pictures. It's getting boring, LOL.

Braised Mushrooms with Dried Oysters and Scallops - CNY Week #2

Braised mushrooms is a favourite at my house. But my mom does it with leeks, fried chicken feet and roasted pork, a version I doubt Mike’s family will like.

Since getting married, I never went home for new year eve’s Reunion Dinner. Well, we’re not supposed to, cos once married you have to eat at your husband’s as you now belong to that family. I do know that many practise alternating or eat at both sides nowadays, but that is unless you stay a sea away (for alternate years) or stay within 30 mins drive to eat at both sides, and also provided it’s eating out where no work at home is done. But traditionally, it’s always at the husband’s side. I’ve never seen my mom going home for dinner. Neither do my sister in laws who stay walking distances away. They stay throughout the dinner and may drop by their parent’s house after that for a chat with their siblings, but never for reunion dinner. It’s an understood custom. My mom calls it a "LAW".

So, for 5 years, I’ve never had reunion dinner at home. At Mike’s place, we share the cooking work. His aunts will do some dishes and I’ll do some. And every year I wonder why is there no mushroom dishes. Is it that they do not know how to do it because since Mike’s grandma passed away, a lot of recipes followed in her footsteps too. So, I made this but not the version I had at home, as they don’t consume chicken feet.
I made up the recipe based on 2 persons. My 3rd uncle will always braise his mushrooms in garlic oil broth before he adds in other flavours and meat. My mom told me, dried oysters taste a lot better than oyster sauce and a few pieces in braises totally perks things up. And it so happened that I have some dried oysters and some scallops that has been sitting chilled in my fridge for almost 3 years.

Here, I present to you my maiden attempt in braising mushrooms and I’m very happy with the result. Flavourful and fragrant. I didn’t need to add any sugar as the scallop was sweet enough and I didn’t need any other sauces(besides the basic soy sauce) to season the dish as the oyster gave out so much flavour to the dish. I didn’t even use salt.

But, it was labled as “old people’s dish” when it arrived at the dinner location. The younger generation didn’t appreciate the dish but the older folks loved it. I was told that only Mike’s grandma will cook this, and since young my hubby will call it “old folk’s dish” and he said now he’s getting older already, he loved it. What a nice explanation. Huh! A far cry from my family where braised mushrooms are loved by the young and old.
I don’t think I’ll be cooking this for next year’s reunion dinner. If ever they ask for this dish again, I’ll do a much smaller portion. I think I’ll just fry chicken to feed those kids in their late 20’s next year.

Braised Mushrooms with Dried Scallop and Oysters
Recipe Source: Wendyywy
Serves 12-20 (depends on how much they eat)

200gm dried shitake/Chinese mushrooms, soaked for 1 hour or overnight
50gm dried oysters (10 pcs)
50gm dried scallops/conpoy (5 large pieces about 2cm diameter)
2 tbsp light soy sauce (30ml)
1 Tbsp dark soy sauce (15ml)
1 Tbsp Shao Xing wine (15ml)
1 bulb of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
4 Tbsp cooking oil (you do need this amount of oil to make the mushrooms look shiny and taste smooth)
1 tsp cornstarch +3 tbsp water (may need more if not thick enough)

1. Clean mushrooms and snip smaller if they are too big. Squeeze mushrooms to remove excess water.
2. Rinse oysters and scallops.
3. Heat a heavy based pot and put in oil.
4. Put in chopped garlic and sauté until it smells fragrant, no need to be golden.
5. Put in cleaned mushrooms and stir until coated with oil.
6. Put in rinsed oysters and scallops, Stir to mix around.
7. Put in water, enough to cover mushrooms.
8. Bring to a boil, cover with lid and turn heat to low.
9. Braise for 2 hours. Check pot once a while to make sure the liquid in pot doesn’t dry up.
10. After 2 hours, season with soy sauces and Shao Xing wine.
11. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
12. Prepare cornstarch mixture and thicken gravy according to preference.
13. Dish up and garnish with blanched veggies.

The story of Two Dumplings

So, what happens when two dumplings meet each other????

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They get ready to be eaten!!!!!

Hahaha, that's my lame joke.
Anyway, do they look the same? From the outside yeah..but from the inside, no.

I think if you have been reading my blog for quite a while you will know that my husband is a Hokkien and I'm a Cantonese. I can't speak a word of Hokkien before I knew him, well, but I can understand the "universal Chinese dialect words" that most understands. Neh, those that you will use to ask about people's parents. Hahahaha, I do no speak them, but that doesn't mean I do not know if someone is scolding me or cursing me behind my back or maybe right in my face.

Mike told me he never spoke much Cantonese, not until he met me, and the first few months of our relationship, we will always argue because he uses the wrong words to express himself, making me misunderstand him. But now, his Cantonese is definately much much better after all the commando training I've given him. :)
His Cantonese has improved, definately, but what about my Hokkien. Hahahahah!!!! Well, he's got TVB to be his guru, but me? I've got nobody,
 **** nobody nobody but you.... nobody nobody like you, nobody nobody, nobody nobody, nobduy nobody ** with fingers twidling upright****

Bloggers who've met me, have heard me saying those few words over and over again only.
"Pai See" (naughty), "Ai Boh" (you want?), "Beh Sai" (Cannot), "Lai Ji Beng" (come here), "Kee Lau Ting" (Go upstairs) and maybe some other simple words. Yeah, these are the only ones that I can utter from my mouth. Trying to teach my girls the very few words that is in my personal collection of Hokkien Vocab.
Oh and the other day, Judy (Busy Gran) taught me how to call Gan Sui Joong in Hokkien, "Kngee Chang". Another new word... kekekeke.

Yeah, about those two dumplings, I just made these yesterday, yes, yesterday 15th June. This is the 2nd batch of rice dumplings I made this year. 1st batch wasn't enough to go around because my neighbours suddenly popped over asking for a few (in exchange with $$$), and a few became half the batch because each take 10, then 10 then 5 and another 5+2. So, after I came back from my dumpling making trip in Kampar last weekend, I made another 36 pieces yesterday.

So, my dumpling feat for this year

Hakka Dough Dumplings : 16 pieces
Plain Gan Sui Joong : 50 pieces
Hokkien Bak Chang: 1st batch: 44pcs, 2nd batch : 15 pcs
Cantonese Rice Dumpling : 1st batch : 23 pieces, 2nd batch: 24 pieces

Altogether: 174 pieces.

Well, I had some help with the 1st batch from my mom and 2nd sis in law. I didn't do this all by myself ok.

Anyway, glad this is only once a year. I'll be looking forward to next year, Nyonya Chang, wait for me ya.

Then in 2012, maybe hakka pillow dumplings... one year one new recipe to learn.

 Happy Dragon Boat Festival, or Dumpling Festival

or Duan Wu Festival,

whatever you may call it, and most of all,

Enjoy the dumplings!!!!

I think I'm getting sick of them already..... hahaha!!

Palm Sugar Coconut Cream Sauce

I remember I said I won't be making any "Gan Sui Joong" this year, which are plain alkaline/lye water rice dumplings.
But due to "family" demand, I made them, but plain with no fillings. Mom just loves these.

Again, I didn't use boric acid (pang sar) as the additive to make it bouncy. 

But this time I made this sauce to go with the dumplings. Usually it's plain palm sugar syrup. But I've added some coconut cream into this, just like making a caramel sauce, coconut cream instead of milk cream. Pandan leaf instead of vanilla bean, and palm sugar instead of brown or white sugar.

This is a recipe given by a neighbour, Mrs Teh, the wife of the good man who taught me to make Toddy Buns.
She taught me how to make this sauce when I was 13, for a "Gan Sui Gou" which means alkaline rice cake.
The palm sugar sauce was really nice and the secret ingredient is coconut cream, or thick coconut milk.

So, here's what I learnt from a dear neighbour

200gm palm sugar (here I used gula kabung, which is darker, you may use the regular gula melaka)
few blades of pandan leaves, shredded and tied into a knot.
100ml water
100ml thick coconut milk/cream
small pinch of salt (if prefer a salty tinge to anything coconut milk related, and I didn't put)

1. Cook palm sugar with water and pandan knot on medium low heat until melted.
2. Let the sugar syrup continue to cook until the whole surface is very bubbly, it may take about 3-5 minutes for the syrup to slowly reduce.
3. Pour in coconut milk and salt, stirring or swirling the pot all the while.
4. Then bring the sauce back to a boil, and let it simmer for 1 minute.
5. Strain sauce and serve with dumplings or any other kuih you may prefer.

** the sauce thickens slightly upon cooling down to room temperature, something like runny honey.

Oh, again this is not a backpost. Just made this yesterday at my hometown, Kampar.

Hakka Dough Dumplings 客家粄粽

Just made these yesterday. This is not a back post :)

Yes, it's almost that time of the Lunar Year again, Duan Wu Festival or Dragon Boat Festival, the day that the Chinese remembers the loyal scholar who commited suicide. The actual day is next Wednesday, 16th June 2010. But I'm making this early for your reference :) I always do my dumplings one or 2 weeks earlier, just for the sake of eating.

Actually I’ve never eaten this, nor have I seen this in real life. I only got to know the existence of this type of Zongzi when I was searching the internet for the real Cantonese Zongzi last year. Malaysia’s Chinese food is already so, so fusioned, that one no longer can distinct between each other, except for certain dishes.

This year Kristy made some sweet hakka dough dumplings.
And I have already planned to make these since last year.

What makes Hakka dough dumplings (客家粄粽) different??. Wait before that, let me tell you there is another type of Hakka Dumpling that is shaped like a pillow... that is a rice dumpling and it is not the same as this dough dumpling.

The difference of savoury hakka dough dumplings is that it uses glutinous rice flour instead of glutinous rice.
Uses minced meat instead of meat pieces.
Uses preserved radish instead of beans.
Fillings are pre cooked and not used raw
Other than these, the mushroom is there, the 5 spice is there. No chestnuts and no salted egg yolks.

And one mistake I did, I thought since this is steamed and not boiled, soI didn’t bother about the small cracks in some of the wrapping. And I also wrapped them quite tight, tried hard to eliminate empty spaces in the wrapping. It is ok, to just form a round ball, with a slightly pointed end and fold the top wrapping loosely over, no need to be too tight cos the dumpling will expand a bit during steaming. Hahaha, the dough seeped out from the cracks during steaming, like Incredible Hulk getting green, cos there was no where to go, except through the wrapping, and caused dumplings that didn't have cracks in the beginning to tear after steaming.

Anyway, it goes into the tummy…..

Here goes the recipe

Hakka Dough Dumpling Recipe

Fillings
5 shitake mushrooms, soaked and chopped, it will come to about ½ cup
200gm minced meat or 1 cup
½ cup or 70gm chopped preserved radish (Choy poh, I used the sweet type, just rinse and chop, if salty type please soak for 30 minutes, squeeze out water before use)
5 shallots, sliced or chopped
10gm (1 heaped Tbsp) dried shrimps, soaked for 30 minutes and finely chopped
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt (you may need less if using salted preserved radish)
Pepper
½ tsp 5 spice powder
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 cup water +1 tsp cornstarch




1. Heat wok and put in 3 tbsp oil. Put in shallots and fry until golden, drain and dish up.
2. Put in chopped dried shrimps and fry until fragrant, then put in minced meat and fry until dry and fragrant, put in preserved radish and fry until fragrant. Put in seasonings and cornstarch mixture. Cook until the water is absorbed by the fillings. Mix in fried shallots.
3. Dish up and let it cool down. Divide into 16 and freeze filling to harden slightly.
4. Meanwhile prepare the dough

Dough
550gm (5 cups) glutinous rice flour
190gm rice flour(1 + 2/3 cups) (If you prefer a less sticky texture, you can substitute some of the glutinous rice flour with rice flour)
2 Tbsp cooking oil
300ml water + 1tsp salt + 1 Tbsp sugar
300ml water (room temp)

1. Mix both flours and make a well in the centre. Put in 2 Tbsp cooking oil
2. Put salt, sugar and 300ml water in a saucepan, bring to a boil.
3. Pour half of (2) into (1) and mix with spoon, bringing in flour slowly into the center. Pour more of (2) and combine. Add the room temp water slowly and knead the flour into a dough. You may not need all the water. Knead dough until smooth. Divide dough into 16 pieces, about 80gm each.

Assembly

16 pieces of bamboo leaves or more, washed and trimmed

Hemp strings or cotton strings

Some cooking oil for coating the dumplings

*click on pic to have a larger view on how to form the cone. This is one of the crucial steps in wrapping. Once I did this in Pudu Girls School, and my students took 2 hours just to learn the wrapping method, and they found the cone forming step is the most difficult of all, besides getting the four corners as pointy corners.
The rest of the wrapping method is in my Bak Zhang Recipe

1. Take one piece of dough roll it round.
2. Lightly flatten it, and make the sides flatter than the center.
3. Place one piece of filling in the center and wrap up the dumpling. Gently rolling it in your hands to seal up. Repeat until all fillings are wrapped up. (I managed to wrap all the fillings with dough in less than 10 minutes, simply due the fillings are hard and clumped together because they are half frozen)
4. Coat each dumpling with cooking oil. Shape each dumpling to look like a green pear, slightly conish.
5. Form a cone with bamboo leaf and place one piece of dumpling(pointy side down) into the cone. Lightly press and fold the rest of the bamboo leaves to form a “pyramid”.
6. Tie with a piece of hemp/cotton string.
7. Steam on high heat for 30 minutes.

So, how did this hakka dough dumpling taste like.... Chewy and the filling taste good. Much chewier than kuih koci, if you want to know the comparison. A fresh change from the usual.

If you prefer a less sticky texture, go with half glutinous rice flour and half rice flour.
If you like it softer, you can use less boiling water and increase the room temperature water. The boiling water here partially cooks the dough, and makes it sticky. When the dough is partially sticky, it needs less water to form a dough and the dumpling will have a firmer and chewier(ngann) texture. But you cannot simply increase the water, you must decrease the boiling water and increase cold water, remember.

My neighbours liked them a lot, and hahaha, indeed this dumpling was a stranger that no one knew before this. But now, at least now, my family knows that this thing exist :)

Recipe adapted from these places:

http://www.wretch.cc/blog/CarrieC/13934825&tpage=1
http://www.951b.com/meishi/200912/10-18682.html
http://www.hk32168.com/viewthread.php?tid=146573

Oh yes, I'll be making more Zongzi this weekend, Both Cantonese and Hokkien varieties.
Not making any Gan Sui Joong.....


Video on how to wrap (updated 6/6/13)

Cantonese Rice Dumpling 广东咸肉粽

It's almost Duan Wu Jie again!

This time I made the real Cantonese version of savoury rice dumpling.
Just the way Grandaunty used to make.
Cantonese Rice dumpling doens't use soy sauce in its rice, and neither it is fried.
If u want to make it easier to wrap, u can stir fry it a while to make it slightly sticky, but bear in mind, no soy sauces. It's fair and much softer than the Hokkien version of which the rice is stir fried, therefore, can be packed real tight.

(A)
2kg glutinous rice
2 Tbsp salt
1 tsp sugar
3 shallots , chopped
Half cup oil

Soak rice at least 3 hours, or overnight. Drain well. Fry shallot in oil until slightly golden and fragrant. Mix shallot oil, rice, salt and sugar together.

(B)
600gm peeled mung beans
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar

Soak mung beans for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain well and mix with salt and sugar. Leave to marinate for 1 hour or more.
** U can mix this with rice after marinating. Or use it on its own as filling.

(C)
1kg pork belly, no skin
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1 heaped tsp 5 spice powder
good dash of pepper

Mix everything together and marinate at least overnight. Best 2-3 days.

(D)
24 salted egg yolks, halved
48 pcs Chinese mushrooms, sliced
Soaked and washed large bamboo leaves
Soaked grass strands or cotton parcel strings for tying the dumplings

Method to wrap: Read my Bak Zhang recipe

This year din make gan sui joong with fillings, cos my mom just made a big pot of yummy kaya So I made plain ones to eat with "Mui Che Kayeang".

Video on how to wrap(updated 6/6/13)

Bak Chang (Savoury Rice Dumplings) 咸肉粽

All rice dumplings in Mandarin are called Zongzi.

I'm making savoury meat dumplings. Hokkiens call it Bak Chang, Cantonese call it Harm Yook Joong... other dialects.. no idea

I dunno whether this is cantonese style, hokkien or hakka...
But u can check the differences here at this prominent food site in Malaysia

My grandaunt came from Panyu, Guangdong province made white coloured savoury joongs, with pork, mung beans and mushrooms as fillings. She doens't put salty egg due to $$$, she finds it wasteful to throw away the whites. Hers was damn good, but I never knew how to do the seasoning... No fried shallots and stuff.. but very fragrant and yummy.

My maternal grandma of Kwongsi descent, made white joongs with soaked black eye peas and pork. She added sodium benzoate to hers and mom said it lasted for weeks w/o referigeration.

When I was in Form 6, during duan wu jie season, a bunch of us will bring a few joongs and a spoon. When it's time for break, we'll open up our joongs, each holding a spoon, will be digging into each other's parcels. It's such fun... The way our mothers did the joongs are quite similiar, except for Yoke Waie's (with peanuts, loads of garlic pips and pork)

This is the way I make it.. with marinated pork, precooked black eye peas, fried garlic pips, shitake mushrooms, chestnuts, salted egg yolks and of course, fragrant lightly fried glutinous rice. The fried garlic pips thingy came from eating Yoke Waie's mother's joongs..

It differs a bit from joongs made from other parts of Malaysia, the black eye peas are precooked and seasoned.... It's the way it's done in Kampar, Ipoh and other towns nearby.. but not Kuala Kangsar (which happens to be just 1/2 hr from Ipoh)

My Step by Step Bak Zhang recipe

Main ingredients to buy:

1 kg pork belly

50 pcs dried chestnuts

25 salted duck eggs

Dried Shitake Mushrooms

5 bulbs of garlic

600gm black eye peas

100 gm dried shrimp

300gm shallots

2kg glutinous rice

Preparation:

Marinated Pork Belly

Cut pork belly (w/o skin) into 50+ pieces

Add in 2 tsp salt, 2 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce(depends on how dark the sauce is), 2 Tbsp light soy sauce, 1 Tbsp 5 spice powder.

Mix well and marinate in the fridge for at least 8 hours, best for 2-3 days.

Black Eye Peas

Soak peas overnight. Drain.

Chop finely 3/4 cup shallots

Wash dried shirmp.

Heat a heavy bottomed pot and put in 3/4 cup oil.

Saute shallots until almost golden, add in dried shrimps and fry until very fragrant.

Put in black eye peas and fry for a while.

Put in water enough to cover peas and put in 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 1/2 Tbsp salt (adjust accordingly, dried shrimpsmay have various degrees of saltiness), 4 Tbsp light soy sauce, 1/2 tsp pepper powder.

Simmer until 90% dry and peas are soft.

Let cool down a bit.

Chestnuts

Soak chestnuts the night before.

By using a sharp slim object (a small knife or skewer), remove membrane bits in slits.

Salted duck eggs

Clean egg shells.

Seperate yolks from whites.

Retain only yolks and cut into halves.

Dried Shitake Mushrooms (50 portions)

Soak mushrooms and prepare 50 pieces of it.

If mushroom is about the size of an oreo, soaking 25 will be enough. If dried mushrooms are as big as a marie biscuit, 13 mushrooms will be sufficient.

Garlic

Peel pips of garlic carefully.

Wash and dry garlic.

Fry in oil until golden. You may do this using the oil to fry the rice.

Savoury Glutinous Rice

Soak Rice for at least 2 hours.

Drain rice in a big colander.

Finely chop 1 cup shallots and 2 pips of garlic.

Heat wok and put in 1 cup cooking oil. (at this point u may fry the whole garlic pips first)

Saute chopped shallots and chopped garlic until fragrant and 90% golden. Put in 2 Tbsp salt.

Put in drained rice and mix it evenly with the fragrant oil.

Add in 4 Tbsp light soy sauce and 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce.
Continue to fry rice until slightly sticky.

Assembly:

Mix rice with black eye peas (I prefer it this way to avoid having more of either at the end)

Fold bamboo leave into a cone.

Put in 1 Tbsp of rice pea mixture. Use spoon to lightly press.

Put in 1 pc mushroom, 1 pc marinated por, 1 pc chestnut, 1 fried garlic pip, and 1/2 egg yolk.

Top up with 2 Tbsp rice pea mixture. Using hands to firmly pack rice.

Fold in the bamboo leaves.

Tie with soaked grass strands or rafia strings.

Prepare all dumplings.

Cooking

Cook in boiling water for 2 hours and remove from water inmmediately while still hot and hang up to air dry for 1 hour.



Yummy, yummy, yummy!! My hubby eats 2 at one go... minimum..

Video on how to wrap (updated 6/6/13)