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Nyonya bak chang
Nyonya chang: blue-tinted pyramid rice dumplings with pork and candied winter melon
Every year in the run-up to the Dragon Boat Festival, on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, Peranakan aunties in Singapore's Katong set up long tables and start wrapping. Their chang differ from Hokkien rice dumplings: the glutinous rice is part-tinted a soft blue with butterfly pea flowers and scented with pandan, and the filling of diced pork is sweet with candied winter melon and warm with ground coriander and white pepper. Cut open, each pyramid is speckled blue and white, sticky and fragrant, and is eaten warm or at room temperature with a dab of sambal or simply on its own. A common mistake is tying the dumplings too loosely, so water seeps in and the rice turns mushy; wrap tight and tie firmly. Chef's tip: fry the filling until it is fairly dry before wrapping, as any excess liquid makes the rice around it soggy.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the rice
- 1 ¾ lb glutinous ricesoaked in water overnight
- 30 dried butterfly pea flowerssteeped in 150 ml hot water for 20 minutes
- 4 pandan leavesknotted
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
For the filling
- 1 ⅓ lb pork shouldercut into 1 cm dice
- 5 ½ oz candied winter melonfinely diced
- 10 shallotsfinely chopped
- 4 garlic clovesminced
- 6 dried shiitake mushrooms (optional)soaked for 30 minutes and diced
- 2 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tbsp gluten-free dark soy sauceordinary dark soy sauce contains wheat
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp neutral oil
For wrapping
- 30 dried bamboo leavessoaked overnight, scrubbed and blanched for 5 minutes
- 12 lengths kitchen string or hemp stringabout 1 m each
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Method
0/12 doneStep 1: Drain 1 ¾ lb glutinous rice and split it into two bowls, one with two thirds and one with one third. Strain the 30 dried butterfly pea flowers water over the smaller bowl and leave it for 30 minutes to turn blue.
30 minStep 2: Drain the blue rice. Mix 2 tsp salt and 3 tbsp neutral oil through both lots of rice, keeping them separate.
Step 3: Heat 4 tbsp neutral oil in a wok over a medium heat and fry 10 shallots and 4 garlic cloves for 5 minutes, until golden.
5 minStep 4: Add 1 ⅓ lb pork shoulder and 6 dried shiitake mushrooms and fry for 5 minutes, until the pork loses its pink colour.
5 minStep 5: Stir in 2 tbsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground white pepper, 1 tbsp gluten-free dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and 100 ml of water. Simmer, stirring, until the pork is tender and the pan is almost dry.
15 minStep 6: Add 5 ½ oz candied winter melon and fry for 2 minutes more, until sticky. Spread the filling on a tray and leave until cool enough to handle.
2 minStep 7: Overlap two 30 dried bamboo leaves, shiny side up, and fold them into a deep cone about two thirds of the way along.
Step 8: Spoon in a tablespoon of blue rice and a tablespoon of white rice, then 2 tablespoons of filling, and cover with more white and blue rice, packing it down lightly. Leave a little space for the rice to swell.
Step 9: Fold the long ends of the leaves down over the opening, then fold the sides in to make a pyramid. Wrap a length of 12 lengths kitchen string or hemp string twice around the middle and tie firmly. Repeat to make 12 dumplings, tying them into bunches.
Step 10: Bring a very large pot of water to the boil with 4 pandan leaves. Lower in the dumplings, making sure they are fully covered, and boil steadily for 2 hours, topping up with boiling water as needed so they stay submerged.
120 minStep 11: Lift the dumplings out and hang them up to drain for 15 minutes; the rice firms as it cools slightly. The pork is cooked well past 160°F.
15 minStep 12: Snip the string, unwrap and serve warm. Leftover dumplings keep in the fridge for 3 days or the freezer for a month; steam for 20 minutes until hot right through.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
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Good to know
- How long does nyonya bak chang take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of glutinous rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
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