Bak Chang 肉粽 Recipe

My wife's bak chang (7 June 2013)


It is a tradition for my wife to make bak chang. Over the years, she has quite perfected the skill, though because it is something she only makes once a year, the skill gets a bit rusty each time bak chang season comes around. This is my wife's bak chang recipe. She learns to make bak chang from her mother.

You can view our video here.

Ingredients for chang (29 May 2014)

Ingredients for Bak Chang 材料

1. Glutinous rice - washed and soaked overnight, drained
2. Red bean - Cleaned, soaked and precooked until slightly tender
3. Dried chestnut - soaked overnight, cleaned and cooked until half done, drained
4. Dried mushroom - soaked and cleaned, squeezed dry
5. Dried shrimp - Cleaned
6. Pork belly - Cleaned and cut into 3/4 inch thick pieces
7. Salted egg yolk
8. Shallot - chopped finely
9. Garlic - chopped finely

1. 糯米 - 清洗，浸隔夜, 过沥
2. 红豆 - 清洗，浸隔夜，过沥， 煮至半熟
3. 栗子 - 浸隔夜，清洗， 煮至半熟，备用
4. 香菇 - 清洗，浸至软，去硬蒂，榨干， 备用
5. 虾米 - 清洗，备用
6. 五花肉 - 清洗，切成3/4寸四方块
7. 咸蛋黄 - 切半，备用
8. 葱头 - 剁碎
9. 蒜头 - 剁碎

Bak Chang Wrap

1. Chang1 hoek1 (Dried bamboo leaves) - soaked overnight and cleaned.
2. Chang1 sok3 (Hemp strings) - soak until soft.

1. 粽叶 - 浸隔夜，清洗干净
2. 粽绳 - 浸至软

Seasoning

1. Five spice powder
2. Pepper
3. Salt
4. Dark soya sauce

调味料

1. 五香粉
2. 胡椒粉
3. 盐
4. 老抽/ 黑酱油

Method

1. Heat some oil in a wok, sauté the chopped garlic until slightly brown, add in dried shrimp. Fry until fragrant, dish out and put aside.
2. In the same wok, sauté shallot and garlic until slightly brown, add in the pork belly. Stir-fry for a while before adding in dark soya sauce, salt, pepper and some five spice powder. Dish out and put aside.
3. In the same wok, add in some oil and sauté some shallot and garlic, stir fry for a while before adding in the red beans and glutinous rice. Add in some dark soya sauce, salt, pepper and some five spice powder. Mix thoroughly, dish out and put aside.
4. To assemble the bak chang. Take two pieces of bamboo leaves, fold into cone shape. Spoon one tablespoon of glutinous rice into cone, top with one piece of pork belly, one piece of mushroom, one chestnut, some dried shrimps, and half of salted egg yolk. Top again with glutinous rice.
5. Wrap dumpling and secure with hemp string.
6. Put the finished bak chang into a deep pot of boiling water and boils for 3 -4 hours, rotating the bak chang half way into the boiling process. The water was earlier "seasoned" with some salt to prevent the saltiness of the bak chang from seeping out into the water.
7. Once cooked, dish out and hang to dry.

制作法

1. 烧热锅，放点油，爆香蒜头，然后加虾米， 炒至香，盛出备用。
2. 锅不用洗，加点油，爆香蒜头和葱头，加五花肉，翻炒片刻。加五香粉，胡椒粉，盐和老抽。 盛出备用。
3. 锅不用洗，加点油，爆香蒜头和葱头，加红豆和糯米，翻炒片刻。加五香粉，胡椒粉，盐和老抽。 盛出备用。
4. 拿两片粽叶，滑面向内，折成三角形。放入少许糯米，一片肉，半粒咸蛋黄，一片香菇， 一点虾米，一粒栗子， 后加糯米。
5. 粽子包好，用粽绳绑进。 重复至糯米用完。
6. 拿一个深锅，煮滚水，加点盐，将包好的粽子放入煮3-4个钟头。水要盖过粽子。放盐是要减少粽子的咸度渗入水中。
7. 每个钟头翻动粽子一次。将上面的粽子放到下面，下面的放到上面去。如水位退了，要加热水 （不要加冷水）。
8. 将煮好的粽子吊起来，这样水才能流干。
9. 乘热或待凉后享用。

Salted duck eggs, with its coating of black soil (29 May 2014)


Salted duck eggs, after soil coating is removed (29 May 2014)


Salted duck egg yolks (30 May 2014)
These bundles of bak chang have been cooked. (7 June 2013)


Sometimes, we hang our bak chang in the open. (29 May 2014)


Bak Chang, ready to be eaten (7 June 2013)


Chang heok (7 June 2013)


Soaking the chang heok (7 June 2013)


All the ingredients laid out on the kitchen counter for making bak chang (7 June 2013)


Wrapping bak chang (7 June 2013)


Cooking the bak chang (7 June 2013)

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