Bak Zhang a.k.a Glutinous Rice Dumpling

Ingredients

Outer wrapping:

  • 40 pieces dried bamboo leaves, soaked over night, drained
  • A bundle of plant-based string or rafia string, soaked over night
  • 800g glutinous rice, soaked over night and drained

Filling:

  • 400g pork, cut into small pieces
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tsp five spice powder
  • sugar
  • salt
  • ground white pepper
  • 4 shallots chopped coarsely
  • 10g dried shrimps
  • 200-300g black-eyed peas bean, soaked over night, drained
  • 20 Chinese mushrooms, soaked and cut into half
  • 5 salted egg yolk, cut into quarter (optional)
Instructions

This is a traditional food for a Chinese festival called Duan Wu Jie which falls on 5th May of Chinese calendar..It's hard to find Zhongzi in the UK that I decided to make myself this year - all this while I was the wrapper & mum cooked for the filling..so I called home & asked for the recipe... :)

I found this website teaching how to wrap dumpling..Very much helpful if you wish to give it a try. http://www.spike.com/video/wrapping-rice/2883703?cid=YSSP 

Wrapping dumpling could be a challenging task but fun to me...I love wrapping dumpling!

  1. Marinate pork with light soy sauce, 1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp five spice powder, sugar, salt & pepper for 2-3 hours.
  2. Heat oil in a saucepan, fry shallots till fragrant before adding marinated pork. Stir-fry till pork is cooked.
  3. Pour into a bowl & leave it cool.
  4. Heat oil & stir well glutinous rice with 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, black-eyed peas, 1 tsp five spice powder & salt to taste for about 3-5mins. Pour into a big bowl & leave it cool.
  5. Take 2 pieces of bamboo leaves, put on top of another, fold them from middle & twist both ends up forming a pouch.
  6. Fill the pouch with 2 tbsp of glutinous rice, top with 1 tbsp fried pork, 2 pcs of mushrooms, some dried shrimps & 1 pc salted egg yolk.
  7. Complete the task with 2 tbsp glutinous rice, hold the pouch tight & close the leaves. Tie it with string & make sure the dumpling is securely wrapped.
  8. Repeat steps till ingredients used up.
  9. Fill a large deep pot with water (the water should be able to cover the dumplings by 3 inches), bring to boil.
  10. Add a tsp salt into the water. Then put dumplings in it & keep boiling for 3 hours.
  11. Drain the cooked dumplings and serve hot.