Bak chang recipe

Recipe:

(A) Pork Belly

6 strips pork belly (about 880g after removing skin & some fats, 1.5 inches in width)

Broth water: 5 cloves garlic, 1 spring onion, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1.25L water

Seasonings: 2 tbsp shallot oil, 1/2 tsp five spice powder, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/4 tsp white pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 8 tbsp broth water

Wash the pork belly, remove skin and bottom bone layer (if any).

Place pork belly into a pot, add the broth water ingredients, bring to boil and cook till chopstick is able to go through the meat (just cooked).

Remove from broth water and cut the pork into bite-size pieces (about 45 pcs)

Strain the broth water and set aside for use later.

In a frying pan, add shallot oil and stir-fry the pork bites till slightly browned. Add five spice powder, coriander powder, white pepper and salt and stir till well-mixed. Add broth water and simmer for 5 mins. Dish and set aside.

(B) Chestnut 

250g dried chestnut (around 45 pcs)

2 cups broth water (from cooking the pork belly)

Wash and place chestnut into a small pot. Add enough water to cover more than 1 inch of the chestnut. Bring the water to boil. Off heat, cover and let the chestnut soak overnight.

The next day, remove the tough bits of brownish membrane in the chestnut.

Place the chestnut in a small pot, add broth water and cook till the chestnut turns soft (not too soft). Dish and set aside.

(C) Dried Shrimp

70g dried shrimp (around 90 pcs)

Seasonings: 2 tsp shallot oil, pinch of coriander powder and white pepper

Wash the dried shrimp a few times. Soak in hot water for 15-20 mins. Clean throughly and drain.

In a frying pan, add shallot oil and stir-fry the shrimp with the coriander powder and white pepper till fragrant. Dish and set aside.

(D) Mushroom

45pcs dried mushroom

Seasonings: 1 tbsp shallot oil, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp five-spice powder, 1/4 tsp white pepper, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 cup broth water

Wash and soak mushroom in water overnight.

The next day, drain water and squeeze dry the mushroom slightly.

In a pot, add shallot oil and stir-fry the mushroom with the seasonings till fragrant. Add broth water and braise for 15 mins (or liquid almost becomes dry). Dish and set aside.

(E) Glutinous Rice

1.85kg glutinous rice

Seasonings: 10 tbsp shallot oil, salt, white pepper, dark soy sauce (to taste)

Wash and soak the rice for 2-3 hrs. Drain.

In a large wok or frying pan, add shallot oil and drained rice. Stir-fry till rice is shiny and coated with oil. Season with salt, white pepper and dark soy sauce. Stir-fry till seasonings well-mixed and rice is slightly sticky.

***Salt and pepper is to taste (take a few grains of rice to try, I added around 5-6 tsp of salt). Dark soy sauce is for colour, add tsp by tsp till desired colour tone. My wok is not big enough, I had to fry in 2-3 batches. After frying the batches, I mix all the rice together in an extra large mixing bowl and mix them well. Set aside.

(F) Bamboo leaf and string

90-100 pcs bamboo leaves

40-50 string (not sure what string they are, they come together in the pack, maybe banana string)

Wash and soak the bamboo leaves and string till ready to use.

Tie the string in bundles of 10 for easy counting and cooking. Hang the bundle using hook at height level for ease of tying the bak chang.

Assembly and cooking

Take 2 bamboo leaves, place them opposite sides of each other.

Twist the leaves to become a "cup". Add about 1 tbsp of glutinous rice into the cup, add pork, mushroom, dried shrimp and chestnut. Add another 1+ tbsp of glutinous rice to cover the ingredients, drizzle 1-2 tsp of chestnut water.

Wrap up the rice dumpling and securely it tightly using the string. 

Once 10 pieces of dumping per bundle is completed, they can be sent for cooking. To cook, add water to a large pot (around 2/3 depth), bring to boil and add 1 tbsp of salt. Lower the bundle of dumplings into the pot and boil on medium heat for about 1 hour (make sure the water covers all the rice dumplings). Once done remove from water and hang to cool slightly (optional) before eating.

*** My cooking pot is small, can only boil 10 pieces of dumplings at one time. For bigger pots, may be able to cook larger quantity, but avoid overcrowding the pot to ensure dumplings are properly cooked.

*** Rice dumplings are best eaten warm. Steam for 10-15 mins before eating. They can be stored in freezer for up to 1 month or fridge for a week. Thaw before steaming.

*Shallot Oil

Shallot oil is a key ingredient in bak chang making. It's available at supermarkets but quite easy to prepare at home. 

150g shallot, thinly sliced

1 cup cooking oil

1/2 tsp salt

Add cooking oil and salt to small pot on medium low heat, add sliced shallots and fry till shallot turns golden brown. Watch closely towards the last few minutes as the shallots can get burnt easily.

Drain and set aside oil for use. For the crispy shallot, it can be enjoyed as a condiment for stir-fried vegetables, fried rice, noodles etc