Madam Koh’s bak chang: The recipe

Advertising

CNA Insider

Madam Koh's bak chang: The recipe

It'south part-Teochew, office-Hokkien, but mostly this grandmother's own recipe that she has developed over the years.

21 May 2022 12:28PM (Updated: 03 Jul 2022 12:52AM)

From the kitchen of: Mdm Koh Peck Hiang, age 68.

Read her story here.

This recipe makes approximately 35 rice dumplings.

Set up THE FILLING

Braised pork belly:

2kg pork belly

Table salt

2-iii cups water

¼ cup sugar

½ cup dark soya sauce

1 tsp MSG

¼ tsp five spice powder

¼ tsp cinnamon powder

2 cinnamon sticks

ii tbsp Martell cognac

x star anise

20 slices blue ginger

1 Chinese bowl garlic cloves, unpeeled

1. Rub common salt all over the pork belly. Leave for half an hr, and then wash the salt off. Boil water and scald the meat.

ii. In a large pot, melt the sugar on depression estrus. Continue stirring and then information technology doesn't fire.
"Oestrus until it becomes a golden dark-brown liquid."

3. Add the dark soya sauce, MSG, table salt, v spice pulverization, cinnamon, cognac, star anise, blue ginger and garlic.
"I add Martell to everything that has an aroma to mask information technology."

4. Add the pork abdomen and leave to simmer on low heat. Flip the chunks periodically so they absorb the sauce evenly.

"It's similar helping them bathe."

v. Stop flipping when the sauce reduces and becomes darker, and the chunks are all evenly coated.

vi. Add together more water, cover the pan with a lid, and leave to simmer for approx. 30-45 mins.

vii. Poke the meat with a satay stick to test if it's cooked.

*Tip: Don't melt the pork until information technology's too soft – as though you were cooking it to serve – considering it will melt farther when the dumplings are boiled.

Braised mushrooms:

1 tbsp oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ tsp dried oysters

200g dried mushrooms, soaked for three hours.

one tbsp night soya sauce

1 tbsp Hua Diao wine

¼ cup water

1 tsp mushroom seasoning granules

¼ tsp cinnamon powder

i tsp cornflour, dissolved in water

1. Estrus the oil in a wok. Fry garlic and dried oysters until fragrant.

2. Add the mushrooms, night soya sauce, Hua Diao wine, and h2o.

3. Flavour with powdered stock and cinnamon powder.

4. Add together the cornflour, mixed with a bit of water.

5. Melt for a few minutes, until the water reduces.

Chestnuts:

300g dried chestnuts, soaked overnight

1 tbsp oil

3 cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

A dash of MSG

1 tsp carbohydrate

1 tsp pepper

1. Skin the skin off chestnuts.

2. Eddy the chestnuts for thirty mins to soften further.

3. In a pan, rut the oil, fry garlic till gilded chocolate-brown.

iv. Throw in the chestnuts, and the rest of the ingredients.

5. Fry for a few minutes, then gear up aside.

Ready THE GLUTINOUS RICE

v tbsp oil

½ cup shallots, sliced

3 handfuls stale shrimp

¼ cup garlic, chopped

2 tbsp dried oyster, chopped

2kg glutinous rice, soaked for 2 hours

1 tsp cinnamon powder

2 tsp five spice powder

i tsp coriander powder

2 tsp white pepper

one tbsp table salt

i tbsp lard

three tbsp dark soya sauce

i. In a large wok, heat the oil.

2. Throw in the shallots, stale shrimp, garlic and dried oysters.

three. Add together the rice. Mix evenly with oil and dried ingredients.
"Make sure at that place's enough oil and the heat isn't too high, or the rice volition burn."

four. Add cinnamon powder, 5 spice powder, coriander powder, pepper, salt and lard. Colour the rice with nighttime soya sauce.

5. Mix evenly, fry for a few minutes. Practise not let the rice cook.

WRAP THE BAK CHANG

You will need 70 bamboo leaves and raffia cord.

1. Soak the bamboo leaves overnight, and wash well.

two. Allow all ingredients cool earlier wrapping.

"If you wrap it while the rice is hot, and the meat is cool, then the dumpling would stink."

three. Using two bamboo leaves, place the fibroid sides back to back. Fold the leaves into a cone (refer to video for visual guide).

four. Pack ane spoon of rice in the bottom of the cone. Summit with ingredients. Top up with more rice till it reaches the brim of the cone. Pack everything tightly.

"Printing information technology flat, so water won't seep into the dumpling."

5. Wrap the dumpling tightly. Tie with raffia cord.

"If yous don't necktie it tightly, the dumpling will exist loose when you unwrap it."

WATCH: How information technology's done (iii:36)

Cook THE BAK CHANG

one. Ready a large pot of water to boil, then place the dumplings in it.

two. Boil it for 2 hours, and check periodically to push button down whatsoever dumplings that have floated to the surface. This will allow all dumplings to cook evenly.

3. Take out the dumplings, hang them to dry, and bask!

Mdm Koh has been making 500 to 800 bak chang every year, only these days, she's making less.

Madam Koh’s bak chang: The recipe

Advertising