Hokkien Bak Chang
Makes about 24 pieces
- Prep time
- 14 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 60 - 70 bamboo leaves
- 30 straw strings
- 1 kg Pork belly
- 1 kg Glutinous rice
- 200 g Dried Prawns (100 g fried, 100 g grounded)
- 300 g Dried Chestnuts (without skin)
- 120 g Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
- 12 Salted Eggs (optional)
- 350 g Shallots (100 g sliced and 250 g chopped)
- 300 g Garlic (chopped)
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- 3 Star anise
- Five Spice powder
- Pepper
- Light soya sauce
- Dark soya sauce
- Concentrated chicken stock
- Shaoxing wine
- Salt
- Sugar
- Cooking oil
- 1 kg pork belly (cut into small pieces)
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp five spice powder
- 2 Tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 100 g dried prawns (fried)
- 2 Tbsp chopped garlic
- 3 Tbsp chopped shallots
- 120 g dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked)
- 1 Tbsp pepper
- 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
- 1.5 Tbsp dark soy sauce
- 200 g dried chestnuts (boiled and peeled)
- Water from soaked dried shiitake mushrooms
- 8 shallots (sliced thinly and fried (For final assembly))
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 star anise
- 2 - 3 Tbsp chopped garlic
- 4 - 6 Tbsp chopped shallots
- 1 kg glutinous rice (soaked and drained)
- 2 - 3 Tbsp shallot oil
- 3 Tbsp chopped shallot
- 100 g grounded dried prawns
- 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp concentrated chicken stock
- 2 tsp five spice powder
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 100 ml mushroom water
Instructions
- 1
Boil bamboo leaves and strings for about 30 mins.Remove the strings and soak the leaves overnight. Rinse the strings and leaves before using.
- 2
Marinate pork belly and keep overnight in the fridge.
- 3
Wash and soak dried chestnuts overnight. Remove any remaining skin with a toothpick. Boil for about 25 minutes to soften.
- 4
Wash and soak dried shiitake mushrooms for at least 3 hours
- 5
Fry thinly sliced shallots (about 100 g) on medium heat until golden brown. Set aside fried shallots and the shallot oil.
- 6
Chop garlic and shallots.
- 7
Soak glutinous rice for at least 2 hrs.
- 8
Drain and rinse glutinous rice.
- 9
Wash and sauté dried prawns until crispy.
- 10
Add chopped garlic, shallots, mushrooms, pepper, light and dark soy sauce and mix all the ingredients well
- 11
Add boiled chestnuts (200 g), mushroom water and stir fry. Set aside 100 g chestnuts for final assembly.
- 12
Taste and adjust seasonings according to preference.
- 13
Remove and set aside to cool.
- 14
Sauté cinnamon sticks, star anise, chopped garlic and shallots briefly.
- 15
Add the marinated pork belly and mix everything well together. Add some water.
- 16
Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 40 minutes till cooked (but not too soft as the pork will cook further when dumplings are boiled).
- 17
Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference. Seasonings have to be strong as they will be diluted through the boiling of the dumplings.
- 18
Stir fry finely chopped shallots and pounded dried shrimps in a pan of shallot oil.
- 19
Drain the soaked white glutinous rice and add to the pan. Mix well.
- 20
Pour the seasoning and mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference.
- 21
Take 2 bamboo leaves and wipe dry with a cloth.
- 22
Use the smooth side of the leaves to wrap the rice and fillings.
- 23
Fold into a cone shape and put in 1 Tbsp rice and lightly press to sides with a spoon. Put in the fillings, ie pork belly, mushroom, chestnut, dried prawns, salted egg (optional) and some fried shallots. Put in 1.5 Tbsp of rice and compress with a spoon.
- 24
Fold over the bamboo leaves forming a pyramid shape. Make sure that the 2 sides (‘wings’) of the leaves fully enclose the dumpling and form a tight seal. The 2 ‘wings’ must be firmly tucked against the sides of the dumpling to prevent leakage.
- 25
Hold the dumpling firmly (with the 2 ‘wings’ locked in position) and tie the dumpling with the straw string tightly. Check that the 2 ‘wings’ are safely tied in position. Double knot the string.
- 26
Put the dumplings in a pressure cooker pot of boiling water and cover and lock into place. Make sure that the water level is above the dumplings.
- 27
Cook in the pressure cooker for about 45 minutes.
- 28
Slowly release the pressure before unlocking the cover
- 29
Take out one dumpling to test for doneness.
- 30
Remove from the pot and hang to drip dry or place on a wire rack to dry before serving.