"Bak Chang" (Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Meat)

When I think of the word "multicultural", the first thing that comes to my mind is food (actually I think of food most of the time anyway, which is why I decided to have a blog to pen down all my foodie-related thoughts). In Malaysia, we are fortunate to be able to celebrate a myriad of religious and cultural festivities, and of course with every celebration, there is always food. There are two things I look forward to each year (and which I try not to miss!) which are the Mooncake festival and Dumpling festival ("Duan Wu Jie") or also known as Dragon Boat Festival. The latter was just over on 20 June, and better late then never, I decided to have a go at making these glutinous rice dumplings. Nobody makes better dumplings than my aunt (hers is simply the best!) and I haven't had them since I moved to Australia years ago. 

You can find dumplings being sold at most Asian supermarkets in Sydney, although most of them just don't make the cut. The perfect dumpling needs to have the right balance of flavour and spices and the texture of the rice is so important - not too dry, dense nor sticky. The filling (which is usually pork, dried shrimp, chestnut and mushrooms) needs to be adequately seasoned so that it complements the delicate taste of the rice. 

When I told mum that I was going to make dumplings, she thought I was nuts! Okay, not really, but she thought why bother making them as it is quite a laborious task preparing the ingredients, wrapping the dumplings and boiling them for hours. I was a little skeptical at first, and made sure I planned out my tasks properly and went over the steps in my head. I even watched Youtube tutorials on dumpling wrapping multiple times. It looked easier on video than when it came to wrapping them, but after a few, I got the hang of it. Once I mastered the art of wrapping the rice in bamboo leaves and securing them with string, the entire process wasn't as difficult as I thought, It took about two hours to prepare the ingredients and wrap the dumplings.

The hardest part was actually peeling the chestnuts! I bought fresh chestnuts with shell and all, and took advice from friends and youtube on how to crack them open and peel away the inner skin. I think I might need more practice in that area, or better still, I should just buy dried shelled chestnuts next time! Right now, what I need is a back massage, and some dumplings for supper!

Bak Chang

Makes 20-24

Ingredients:

1 kg glutinous rice

50 dried bamboo leaves

Dried china grass or raffia string for tying the chang

500g pork belly, cut into 1 inch cubes

Pork marinade:

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp five spice powder

1 tbsp chinese cooking wine

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp dark soy sauce (Cheong Chan thick caramel)

2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Chestnuts (12 large or 24 small ones), peeled and boiled until soft

12 large dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked in water for 30 minutes, squeezed dry and halved

1 tsp sugar

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup dried shrimp, soaked and drained

250g shallots, finely diced

5 cloves garlic, chopped

Rice seasoning:

4 clove garlic, chopped

3 tbsp soy sauce

1-2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce (Cheong Chan thick caramel)

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp five spice powder

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Method

Wash and soak the rice overnight (about 12 hours). Drain rice the next day.

Wash and soak the bamboo leaves overnight. Drain before use.

Season pork with the marinade overnight.

Season the mushrooms with 1 tsp sugar. 

Heat 1/2 cup oil and fry the mushrooms for 1 minute. Drain and set aside. Fry the dried shrimp for 2 minutes, then drain and set aside. With the remaining oil in the pan, fry the shallots, stirring frequently until it starts to turn lightly golden. Add more oil if there isn't enough to fry the shallots. Dish out the shallots together with the oil into a bowl. 

Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok and fry the  5 cloves of the chopped garlic. Add the seasoned pork and one-third of the shallot/oil mixture above and stir fry for 3-5 minutes until fragrant. Transfer the pork into a bowl. There will be some extra sauce in the wok. Transfer this sauce to the drained rice which we will fry later.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in the wok and fry the 4 cloves of chopped garlic until golden. Add the rice, the reserved shallot/oil mixture and the rest of the seasoning ingredients. Mix until evenly combined. Fry for 6-8 minutes until fragrant. Dish out.

Wrapping the chang:

Take two bamboo leaves (discard those with holes) with the shiny side up with the tip of the leaves facing inwards. Snip off the hard stems at the base of the leaves so that it's easier to fold it later. Shape it into a cone and place 1-2 tbsp of rice into the cone. Add a piece of mushroom, chestnut, pork and 1 tsp of dried shrimp. Fill with more rice until it reaches the top of the cone Make sure it's nice and compact before wrapping it into a triangular prism shape. Tie with string.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, and add 1-2 tbsp salt if desired. Place the chang into the pot and ensure it's fully submerged. Boil for 2.5 hours, topping up with boiling water if the level goes down. When cooked, remove and hang the chang to dry for about 20 minutes. Enjoy on its own or serve with chilli sauce.

Note: Leftover dumplings can be kept frozen. Thaw the dumplings in the fridge and reheat in a steamer.

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Korean Fried Chicken with garlic wasabi soy glaze

If there's one thing I can't resist, it's crispy Korean Fried Chicken (see my earlier posts here and here). So far, this is one of my favourites, with a lightly battered yet slightly chewy and crispy skin. The sweet, salty and sticky garlic soy glaze has a hint of wasabi to give it some kick. Chew on that crispy skin smothered with the soy glaze and sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds and you're in heaven. I almost forgot, every bite should be enjoyed with some of those thin ribbons of scallions. It helps to lighten up the dish, adds some freshness and makes the chicken taste more healthy than oily. Like, really. It's not just a garnish, it's a main ingredient. Don't skip it.

Here's a closer look at the crispy chicken wings!

The batter for the chicken was based on a recipe from Saveur. The soy glaze is my own concoction based on the famous "Red Pepper Korean Fried Chicken" at Strathfield Sports Club. Koreans enjoy their fried chicken with a glass of cold beer. I think I might try that next time.

Korean Fried Chicken with Soy Glaze

Recipe for batter adapted from Saveur

Ingredients

800g (about 1 lb) chicken wings

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Canola/Vegetable oil for frying

Batter:

2/3 cup plain flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2/3 cup water

Soy glaze:

2 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoon mirin

2 tablespoon water

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon brown sugar (or to taste)

1/4 cup corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon wasabi paste (or to taste)

Garnish:

Toasted sesame seeds

Scallions, julienned into thin long ribbons

Method

Prepare soy glaze first. Mix the soy, mirin, water and garlic in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, and add brown sugar and corn syrup and simmer again briefly until it starts to reduce slightly. Stir in sesame oil and wasabi paste. Turn off heat and set aside.

Rinse the chicken wings and pat dry with paper towels. Rub all over with salt and lay out in a single layer to draw the moisture out, about 10 minutes. Brush off excess salt and pat the chicken dry again with paper towels.

Mix the batter ingredients with a whisk until you get a smooth paste. Add chicken and coat in the batter. Heat sufficient oil in a wok for deep-frying (about 2 inches deep) at medium-high heat (180C/350F). Shake off excess batter from each chicken wing before frying it in the hot oil. Fry in batches for 6-8 minutes until golden. Drain on a wire rack or paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the wings. Once all the wings have been fried once, bring the oil back to temperature again, on high heat. Fry the chicken a second time for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Drain again. Arrange on a serving plate and drizzle with the soy glaze. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and top with scallions. Enjoy immediately!

Note: If the soy glaze has thickened upon cooling, just heat up slightly in the microwave before serving.

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Danish Dream Cake (Drømmekage)

 

I made this cake for the first time as part of the Australia's Biggest Morning Tea fund-raising event at work. It's rather stressful cooking or baking for other people whom you know are going to judge you and your food. I tried to think of what cake would appeal to most people, and the magic ingredient is *drumroll*.... coconut! Australians love coconut (the shredded type) which is probably why lamingtons are so...Aussie.. though not as Aussie as Tim Tams and Vegemite. Coconut is also widely used in Asian cuisine. In fact, some of the people at work commented that it was a Filipino cake, and I said no. This was a Danish Dream Cake. Totally different continents. (I think they might have confused it with Biko, a Filipino dessert made with sticky rice and coconut, though sounds delicious too).

 

The word "Drømmekage" literally means "dream cake", and is apparently a traditional Danish cake consisting of a genoise sponge with a coconut caramel topping that is baked until caramelized and golden brown. I think my favourite colour has to be caramel. Not just any caramel, but dark and deliciously brown caramel. The cake was lovely and not as sweet as I thought it would be. It must be the salt in the caramel that tones down the sweetness, and on top of that, I also added coffee to it. Coffee and caramel makes for amazing smells in your kitchen! You have to let the cake cool down for an hour before cutting it, but just an hour and no more than that. As a reward, you will get to savour the sweet, juicy crusty edges of the cake which is still slightly warm from the caramel that has melted over the sides and covered it with sticky chewy goodness. This is a cake that would be perfect for a crowd, best eaten in small portions (over and over). Please find the recipe below.

 

 

Drømmekage – Danish Coconut Dream Cake

(from ‘Scandilicious – Secrets of Scandinavian Cooking’ by Signe Johansen, Saltyard Books)

Adapted from Usingmainlyspoons

 

4 medium eggs
300g golden caster sugar (I used 250g)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
150g butter, melted
150ml buttermilk (or just plain milk)
300g plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

 

Topping

200g butter (I used 150g)

200g light brown soft sugar

150g dessicated coconut

100ml milk

1 heaped teaspoon vanilla sea salt (I used half teaspoon salt with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

1/2 tbsp instant coffee granules/powder (optional - I added this)

 

Method

 

Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas mark 5. Line a 20x30cm deep rectangular cake pan (I used a 23x23cm pan) with parchment paper, leaving a 2 inch overhang to help remove the cake later. It helps to have the paper extend above the sides of the tin a little to contain the topping later.

 

Melt the butter and leave to cool a little. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, and mix with a whisk to distribute the baking powder.

 

Using an electric mixer beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla together until thick and pale, the batter should form a ribbon when the whisk is removed from the bowl. This will take several minutes on high speed.

 

Pour in half the melted butter and buttermilk and sift half the flour onto the batter. Fold the batter together with a large metal spoon, trying to incorporate as much of the flour, butter and buttermilk without knocking out the air from the eggs.

 

Pour in the remaining butter and buttermilk and sift over the remaining flour. Fold the batter as above.

 

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cake has doubled in size, looks light golden brown in colour and is firm to the touch. A toothpick inserted into the cake should also come out clean. You want to be sure it has baked thoroughly and will bear the weight of the topping to come.

 

Whilst the cake is baking make the topping by adding all the ingredients into a medium saucepan set over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent the sugar from burning. Cook for 5 minutes until the mixture has thickened and some of the liquid has evaporated. It will reduce a little and also change colour to a slightly darker shade of brown. You want something thick enough that it will spread over the surface, and not run too much or it may seep into the cake.

 

Once the cake is out of the oven turn the temperature up to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7. Spread the topping evenly over the cake, return to the oven and bake on the upper-middle shelf for 5–10 minutes until the topping is a toasted deep golden colour. Cool in the tin before cutting into squares with a serrated knife (I used a bread knife). The top of the topping should be caramelized and chewy, while the coconut beneath is juicy, sweet and addictive! Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sticky Baby Back BBQ Ribs

Costco is one of my favourite places to shop at (well, okay, most of my favourite shopping places revolve around food and groceries). I remember watching a documentary about Costco and how they source for only popular or quality that are tried and tested by them, and they carry a limited number of brands for each product line. This makes it easier for the consumer when deciding which brand to choose (as too many brands may confuse the consumer who might end up not buying anything!).

I saw a couple of brands for BBQ sauce and decided on Sweet Baby Ray's (after all, there's only a fifty-fifty chance I bought the wrong one!) mainly because the label stated "Award-winning", dotted with four red stars (not only my kids love stars on their homework, I have an affinity for stars too when it comes to food and product reviews). The other brand had some Japanese sounding name to it which I can't remember, plus there was a mad picture of a Japanese guy on it. My, my, my.... these ribs were possibly one of the best I've had, and almost as good as Tony Roma's. I highly recommend this, especially the sauce which turns lovely and sticky after a few minutes under the grill. It's easy to prepare, and easy clean-up afterwards too!

Sticky Barbecue Ribs
Adapted from Food.com

Ingredients

1.8kg (4 lbs) American-style pork ribs (get meaty ones, not too lean or bony)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1-2 cups Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue sauce

Method

Preheat oven to 160C (300F).

Mix together the sugar and spices to make a dry rub. Apply rub to ribs on all sides.

Lay ribs on two layers of foil, shiny side out. Lay a layer of foil on top of ribs and roll and crimp edges tightly, edges facing up to seal.

Place on baking tray and bake for 3-4 hours or until meat is tender and starting to shrink away from the ends of the bone. Remove from oven. Heat the broiler or oven grill.

Remove ribs from the foil, and place on a clean layer of foil on a metal rack or pan, bony side up. Brush on some BBQ sauce. Grill for 3-4 minutes until sauce is cooked on and bubbly.
Turn ribs over and brush on more sauce and grill again until sauce is bubbly and caramelized (this makes it sticky and finger-licking good!). Serve immediately.

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Nasi Ayam (Chicken Rice)

 

Hainanese Chicken Rice makes a regular appearance on our dinner table almost every Sunday evening. We would make a big batch of it so that it will last for the next couple of dinners. It's easy, simple and the kids hardly complain about it (unless it stretches out to the third or forth time in a row, then there'd be the occasional whining "Chicken rice? Again....?"). And so, I decided to try out a different version of chicken rice which is more Malay style, with the addition of spices like cinnamon and star anise. The chicken is rubbed with kecap manis before roasting it in the oven, which gives the skin a touch of sweetness.

 



Nasi Ayam (Chicken Rice) Recipe

Ingredients

1.8 kg chicken marylands (drumstick and thigh) - reserve the chicken fat for the rice
1-2 tbsp margarine/butter

Marinade:
3 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Broth:
2 litres water
2 cloves garlic
2 slices ginger
500g chicken bones/wing tips
1 medium onion, quartered
1 large carrot, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Coriander stems/roots
Coriander leaves for garnish

Rice:

3 rice cups (approx 2 1/4 metric cups) of jasmine/basmati rice, rinsed
2 tbsp margarine/butter
2 pieces of chicken fat
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 slices ginger
1 star anise
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 cloves
Chicken stock/broth
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
1 pandan leaf
1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Chilli sauce:

3-4 red chillies, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 inch ginger, grated
2-3 tsp white vinegar
2-3 tbsp chicken broth
Salt and sugar to taste

Chilli soy sauce:

Mix some kecap manis with chopped bird's eye chillies.

Method

Marinate the chicken by rubbing the salt and pepper all over, followed by the kecap manis. Leave refrigerated for 2-4 hours.

Prepare the chicken broth next. Bring water to the boil in a large pot and add garlic, ginger, chicken bones and onions. Simmer for 1 hour. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 190C. Rub some margarine/butter over and under the chicken skin. and roast the chicken for 45-50 minutes until browned and cooked through. Remove and chop into pieces.

While chicken is roasting, cook the rice. Heat up some margarine in a pan and fry the chicken fat for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, star anise, cinnamon and cloves to fry. Add in the rice and fry until rice is well coated with the mixture. Pour into rice cooker and add the chicken broth until it comes up to the mark on your rice cooker. Add lemongrass, pandan leaf and stir in salt to taste. Start the rice cooker, and once cooked, fluff up the rice with a fork.

To the remaining broth in the pot, add carrots and coriander stems/roots. Simmer for 10 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with coriander leaves.

To prepare chilli sauce, blend everything in a blender and adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve rice with chopped chicken, cucumber and tomatoes, chilli sauce, chilli soy sauce and chicken broth.

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Rainbow Jelly

Here's a sweet and colourful coconut-flavoured treat that kids (and grown-ups) of all ages will love.

Rainbow Jelly

 

Ingredients

Part A

10 grams agar-agar powder

1 litre water

200g (scant 1 cup) sugar

Food colouring

 

Part B

10 grams agar-agar powder

600 ml water

200g (scant 1 cup) sugar

400 ml coconut milk

½ teaspoon salt

Food colouring

 

Method

1.       Prepare a container about at least 3 inches high, about 10” x 10” in size.

2.       Combine ingredients in Part A (except for food colouring) in a pot and bring to a boil, stirring frequently until the agar powder is dissolved. Turn off heat and keep warm.

3.       At the same time, combine the agar powder, water and sugar in Part B in another pot and bring to a boil. Then add coconut milk and salt, and bring it back to a boil. Turn off the heat immediately and keep warm.

4.       Measure 200ml of the mixture from A and pour into a jug, and add a few drops of food colouring. Mix well. Pour into the prepared container and leave in the fridge to cool for 5 minutes or until almost set (but not completely firm).

5.       While waiting, prepare 200ml of the coconut mixture from Part B and add food colouring.

6.       When the first layer has almost set, use a fork to lightly scratch the surface so that when you pour in the second layer, the layers stick together when they harden.

7.       Gently pour in the coconut mixture from step 5, and then leave to cool until almost set. Scratch the surface with a fork.

8.       Repeat steps 4-7 until mixture is used up. Refrigerate until cold before cutting into slices.

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Malaysian Satay Recipe

 

Mention the word "satay" and I am instantly reminded of my childhood years and years ago, how the Malay Satay Man would peddle his mobile satay stall on his bicycle in my neighbourhood, tooting his horn. Sometimes, I could even smell the aroma from my house, even though he could be grilling his satay down the road. I would get all excited at the prospect of having satay for dinner, and run to the window to see if I could detect any "smoke" signals in the sky. He made one of the best satays in town, and the fact that he peddled his stall around the neighbourhood meant that we could walk up to him with empty plates and bowls waiting to be filled with freshly made satay. Those were the simple things in life back then, though coming from a foodie family, food was and is a big deal, as to most Malaysians of course.

Malaysian Satay is such a luxury item in Sydney. I don't think I've ever ordered satay here before, not when I know it costs multiple times less back in Malaysia. Thai style satay is quite common here, although I'm not a fan of it as they are often presented as a single long piece of chicken breast meat on a bamboo skewer, grilled (and often a tad dry) and served with a sweet peanut sauce which tastes like peanut butter mixed with loads of palm sugar. I guess my tastebuds are more accustomed to savoury and spicy Malaysian cuisine, rather than the sweet side of Thai food.

Anyway, I digress. I had to make satay at home from scratch, and it's pretty simple really. Serve it with cucumbers and ketupat (compressed rice) for a complete meal.

Malaysian Satay Recipe

1kg (2 lbs) chicken thigh fillet or beef scotch fillet steak
Vegetable oil and a stick of lemongrass for basting

Marinade (finely blended into a paste):
150g shallots
4 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
2-3 lemongrass (white part only), sliced
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground fennel
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground turmeric
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp salt

Condiments:
1 red onion, sliced/cubed
Cucumbers, sliced into wedges
Ketupat (compressed rice cakes) - see here for recipe

You will need about 40-50 bamboo skewers (or less if they are long skewers), soaked in water for  a few hours.

Method:

1. Cut the meat into 1 inch x 2 inch slices, about 1/4 inch thick. Combine with marinade and mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and mix through. Leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Thread the pieces of meat onto the bamboo skewers (about 3-4 pieces each) and set aside on a plate.
3. For basting the satay, take the lemongrass and smash the white part until it's "frayed" like a brush.
4. Grill the satay sticks over a barbecue, using the lemongrass "brush" to baste the satay with vegetable oil.
5. Serve with peanut sauce and condiments.

Satay sauce / Peanut sauce Recipe

500g raw unsalted peanuts, skinless
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp tamarind pulp, soaked in 1 cup hot water to extract the juice
2-3 cups water, plus extra
150g gula Melaka (dark brown palm sugar), chopped
4 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tsp salt or to taste

Spice paste (finely blended into a paste):
100g shallots
4 clove garlic
2-3 stalks lemongrass, white part only, chopped
15-20 long dried chillies, deseeded, soaked in a hot water overnight and chopped (discard the water)
1 inch galangal

Method:

1. Dry fry the peanuts in a large wok, without any oil, until the peanuts are lightly browned and fragrant. Remove and set aside to cool.
2. Pound/grind/blend the peanuts until almost smooth but with some coarse bits still visible, depending on whether you like it smooth or chunky I guess. Set aside.
3. Heat up the 1/2 cup oil in a medium sized pot. Add the blended spice paste and fry until the chilli oil starts to separate from the paste. Add the tamarind juice, gula Melaka and water and bring to a boil and simmer for 10-20 minutes.
4. Add the ground peanuts and stir to mix well. Bring to a boil, then add salt and brown sugar to taste. Add more water if it's too thick. Sauce will thicken as it cools.
5. Turn off heat and set the sauce aside until the oil rises to the top. Serve warm with satay and ketupat (rice cakes).

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