Bak Chang or Zong Zi (粽子) are glutinous rice dumplings, wrapped in bamboo leaves. These are traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu Festival, Duānwǔ Jié, Double Fifth, Tuen Ng Jit), a traditional holiday that commemorates the life and death of the famous Chinese scholar Qu Yuan (Chu Yuan). The festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. This year it will falls on Jun 9. 2016
Background
Many believe that the Dragon Boat Festival originated in ancient China based on the suicide of the poet and statesman of the Chu kingdom, Qu Yuan in 278 BCE.
The festival commemorates the life and death of the famous Chinese scholar Qu Yuan, who was a loyal minister of the King of Chu in the third century BCE. Qu Yuan’s wisdom and intellectual ways antagonized other court officials, thus they accused him of false charges of conspiracy and was exiled by the king. During his exile, Qu Yuan composed many poems to express his anger and sorrow towards his sovereign and people.
Qu Yuan drowned himself by attaching a heavy stone to his chest and jumping into the Miluo River in 278 BCE at the age of 61. The people of Chu tried to save him believing that Qu Yuan was an honorable man; they searched desperately in their boats looking for Qu Yuan but were unable to save him. Every year the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated to commemorate this attempt at rescuing Qu Yuan.
The local people began the tradition of throwing sacrificial cooked rice into the river for Qu Yuan, while others believed that the rice would prevent the fishes in the river from eating Qu Yuan’s body. At first, the locals decided to make zongzi in hopes that it would sink into the river and reach Qu Yuan's body. However, the tradition of wrapping the rice in bamboo leaves to make zongzi began the following year.
This is my virgin attempt at making my own bak chang from A to Z. I've always procrastinated because I fear I might not tied properly and ended up boiling a pot of glutinous rice porridge. Today, I decided to face and confront my fear & settle for once and for all.
So, I learnt the wrapping skills from my mil during a recent trip home. Although my wrapping skills not really up to the standard yet, I believe practice makes perfect.
I made this while my hubby is working, therefore no one here to help me to video record the wrapping process. However, here's a youtube video that did a fairly good job which you can view HERE. Watch from 0:50 secs onwards for the wrapping process.
Due to only hubby & me in the house, I only make 6pcs for a beginner hands on practice.. :)
Every ingredient needs efforts to prepare the night before. The work is really tedious. Every efforts counts but nothing beats home cooked food.
Note : All ingredients are approximate & can be adjust to your preferences & liking.
The bak chang would be a bit smaller than the ones you buy from outside stalls. If you make them regular size, you may get only about 4 pieces instead of 6. Anyway, it also depends on the size of your leaves. Bigger leaves can make bigger dumplings.
Ingredients: (makes 6pcs)
240g Glutinous Rice
3 Dried Chinese Mushroom
65g Black Eye Peas
2-3 Salted Duck Egg Yolk
6 pcs Pork Belly, cut into 2cm chunks
3-6pcs Dried Chestnut
1 Red Shallot
2-3 tbsp Cooking Oil
2 tbsp Salt
Pork Belly & Mushroom Marinade
*(Note that this might be abit saltier as you seen, but it's ok as the taste will dilute in the water during boiling process of the dumplings)
1/2 tsp Shaoxing Rice Wine
1/8 tsp Five Spice Powder
1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
1/4 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Light Soy Sauce
Dash of White Pepper
Glutinous Rice Seasoning
1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp Salt
Dash of White Pepper
For Wrapping
12 pcs Bamboo Leaves (you need 2 pcs per dumpling) - Do not use any leaves which already have holes in them, as they will cause water to seep into the bak chang during the cooking process.
Hemp leaves / cooking String
DAY 1 (night)
1. Soaked bamboo leaves & hemp leaves in a large pail / wok / pot to soften it. Try to submerge all the leaves in the water. I'm using a plate to weigh them down. Then wash one by one on both sides. You can use a cloth / sponge to gently rub to wash. Be careful of the sharp edges, you might get cut easily.
2. Soaked black eye peas in a bowl of water. Give them more water as they soaked up quite fast. You may leave it in room temperature or in the fridge. Change the water a few times if you see alot bubbles on the surface.
3. Soaked chinese mushrooms & cut into halves.
4. Soaked dried chestnut.
5. Marinade the pork belly & mushrooms with the seasoning listed above.
DAY 2 (morning)
1. Soaked glutinous rice for at least 4 hours
DAY 2 (getting ready to cook) NOON
1. Cracked salted duck egg & collect the egg yolks only. Cut them into smaller pieces, either halves or cut into 4. You may keep the egg whites to cook other dishes.
2. Thinly sliced the red shallot.
3. Heat oil in the pan. Lightly sear the mushrooms & pork belly to lock it's juice. Turn the pork belly so that all sides are slightly brown. Season with a drizzle of light soy sauce. No need to cook until perfectly done. Remove from pan & set aside.
4. Using the remaining oil in the pan, fry the shallots until they become fragrant. Add in glutinous rice and stir for a minute. Add in all the seasonings for the rice and any leftover pork marinade that you have earlier on. Turn off the heat, transfer rice to a bowl.
Now all the ingredients for the fillings is done, now is the time to wrap the bak chang.
Wrapping
1. Drain the water from the bamboo leaves. Shake off excess water – it doesn’t matter if they are still slightly wet.
2. Bunch together the hemp leaves and tie into a knot. Get a hook to hang them so that you can easily access to tie your dumplings later on. Mine like this below.
2. Select two leaves, and place them in opposite directions. Notice one side is harder then the other. (i.e. the tail end of one lining up with the top end of the other).
3. Form leaves into a cone.
4. Fill the cone with some glutinous rice & black eye peas until 1/3 full.
5. Then, place each of the following on top the rice: one chunk of pork belly, one chestnut, half Chinese mushrooms, salted duck egg yolk.
6. Top with more glutinous rice and black eye peas, till you reach the brim of the cone.
7. Holding the cone, slowly fold down the leaves from top. Pressing down the 2 sides and fold around the dumpling, and secure with hemp leaves / cooking strings.
8. Repeat with remaining leaves and ingredients, until everything is used up.
Boiling/Cooking
1. Boil water in a large pot with 2 tbsp salt. When the water comes to a boil, gently lower the bak chang’s into the water. Make sure the entire bak chang is submerged in water. Cover the pot with a lid, and cook over medium heat for 1 hours 45mins. (I'm using Queen's Xense 30cm Stirfry Wok with Glass Lid here)
2. Once the bak changs are cooked, remove from the pot and hang them up somewhere to drain away the excess water. Don't forget to place a pot underneath so that the water don't drip everywhere. Alternatively, you may also place them in a colander.
3. Once they have cooled, unwrap and eat! Enjoy your Bak Chang.
Note: Leftovers Bak chang can be store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days, and in the freezer for 2 months. Steam to reheat before eating.
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Cooked with Queen's Xense Cookware. Marble Coated Anodised Coating. Non stick 5 layer marble coating. Durable & Long Lasting. High heat efficiency. Easy cleaning & maintenance.
*Queen's Xense Casserole with Glass Lid comes in 2 different sizes : 20cm & 24cm.
*Queen's Xense Stirfry Wok with Glass Lid : 30cm
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