Bak Chang Recipe粽子/肉粽

Bak Chang recipe or Zong zi recipe

Duan Wu Festival (端午节) or Dragon Boat Festival is approaching fast 6.6.2011 . This year i want to try my hands on this Bak Chang (粽子/肉粽) or glutinous rice dumpling recipe..

About Duan Wu Jie festival

“Duan Wu Jie festival commemorates the death of a patriotic Chinese official in ancient China. Official Qu Yuan committed suicide by jumping into the river after he discovered his emperor was killed by their enemy. Bak chang or rice dumplings were made by Qu’s supporters to feed the fish in the river so they wouldn’t eat his body.”

Ingredients

• 2 packet of Chang Leafs 荷叶
• 2 bundle of Hemp String 荷叶绳
• 500 gm Pork (Fah Yuk) Rib area 花肉
• 2 kg Glutinous Rice 糯米
• 100 gm Dried Shrimp (Harmai) 虾米
• 600 gm Mung Beans (Green Beans) Skinless 绿豆
• 30 pieces of Fong Lut (Chestnut) 栗子
• 30 pieces of Mushroom 冬菇
• 15 nos of Salted Egg Yolk 咸淡黄
• 5 Garlic 蒜头
• 300 gm Shallots 葱头

Method

To make Hokkien Bak Chang （福建肉粽）

Chang Leaf

1. Soak overnight
2. No need to boil in water
3. Just wipe with wet cloth to remove dirt
4. Dry leaf with wet cloth when ready to use

Harmai / Dried Shrimp

• 1 handful of harmai / dried shrimp finely chop
• 2 tbsp of shallots finely chop
• 1 tbsp of garlic, finely chop

Method

1. Stir fry shallots and garlic till fragrant
2. Mix harmai and continue to stir fry till fragrant and golden brown

Green Beans / Mung Beans (Skinless)  & Kidney Beans ( Pak Mei Tou 白眉豆)

Mung Beans

2tbsp of chicken cube

Method

1. Fry green beans with oil till fragrant & Fry kidney beans
2. Add chicken stock & continue to fry till fragrant

Fong Lut / Chestnut

1. Prewash soaked for 3 hours
2. Boil chestnut till half cook & peel skin
3. Add oil to wok and stir fry with garlic till fragrant.

Chinese Mushroom

1. Pre wash, stem remove, soak till soft overnight
2. Add oil to wok and stir fry with garlic till fragrant.

Lap Cheung

1. Sliced to equal part diagonal shape
2. Stir fry in wok

Salted Egg Yolk

1. Break salted egg yolk and cut egg yolk to half size

Marinate Pork

1. Cut pork into small pieces
2. Add 4 tbsp five spice powder dilute in little bit of water
3. 3- 4 tsp of pepper
4. 1 tsp of salt
5. 2 tbsp of light soy sauce
6. 1 tbsp of sugar
7. 1 tbsp of dark sauce
8. Pinch of chicken stock
9. 2 tbsp of oyster sauce
10. 2 tbsp of rice wine ( i use ginger rice wine – homemade by relative)
11. 2 tbsp of foo yue (red bean curd)

Mix ingredient in a bowl into fridge (lower compartment) overnight and let it marinate.
When ready, fry pork till cook and fragrant

Hokkien Bak Chang – Glutinous Rice

1. Soaked 1kg glutinous rice overnight to make Hokkien Bak Chang
2. Add black sauce (hak yau)
3. Add dried oyster (optional)
4. 3 tbsp of garlic
5. 2 tbsp of five spice powder (stir in water)
6. 3 tbsp of shallots
7. 1/2 tsp of pepper

Method

1. In a wok, heat up oil, stir fry garlic, shallot, hou see untill fragrant.
2. Add rice, continue to fry for 5-7 mins
3. Add black sauce, five spice powder, continue stir fry
4. Continue to fry till rice is dry, oily & fragrant

Mix in chicken stock cube for better flavour (Taste it before you wrap) – I omit this steps for healthier bak chang

Nyonya Bak Chang 娘惹粽

You will need big bowl and 40 pieces of Bunga Telang / Blue Pea Flower / Clitoria ternatea
Pluck it fresh and dilute into big bowl of water soaked with glutinous rice for your nyonya bak chang

 

To make Cantonese Bak chang (to mix with your blue nyonya bak chang)

 

 

• 1 tbsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of sugar
• 3 shallot chop
• oil

Method

1. Finally, wrap your bak chang using 2 chang leaf and shape into a cone
2. Fill bottom and side with rice and make a hallow at the center to stuff your fillings
3. Cover with little more rice at the top
4. Press and compact the cone and fold the remaining leaf
5. Secure with a string
6. Boil chang for 45 minutes in a pressure cooker.

Tips

• 20 bak chang boiled for approximately 45 minutes with 3 tbsp of salt added into the water
• You can make more than 30 bak chang and eat all you want!
• If you want a tastier bak chang, add more chicken cubes..

It’s a very tiring process to prepare the ingredients one by one plus the washing and cleaning and i started this morning from 8.30 am and only completed at 9 pm. By the way, its my first time making bak chang, not bad eh..