Bamboo Leaf Vegetarian Dumpling 素粽子

Bamboo Leaf Vegetarian Dumpling 素粽子

Recipe source :  Doris Choo @ Sumptuous Flavours


We had just celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival few weeks back. As usual,  I made Bak Chang or savoury bamboo leaf dumplings with meat and an assortment of ingredients.  Sometimes I make alkaline dumplings with red bean paste  fillings. My family likes the spicy dumplings with dried shrimps sambal. I still have some bamboo leaves left over and I thought of trying to make some vegetarian dumplings which I have never attempted before. 

The ingredients used and the method of making these vegetarian dumplings is the same as making my previous batches of savoury dumplings except that I omitted using meat and salted egg yolks. I used gingko nuts instead. I love to eat gingko nuts and the yellowish color of the gingko nuts make the dumplings look more colourful.
 

Ingredients for Glutinous Rice

500g glutinous rice
2 tsp salt
1 Chinese soup spoon cooking oil
1/2 tsp five-spice powder
1/2 tsp salt

1.  Wash glutinous rice and soaked in water overnight. 
2.  Next morning, drain away the water using a colander
3.  Then mix in the rest of the ingredients. Set aside.

Mushroom

100g, dried shitake mushrooms
3 tsp sugar
1/4 Chinese soup spoon soy sauce
1 Chinese soup spoon shao shing wine (optional )
1 1/2 Chinese soup spoon cooking oil

1.  Soak mushrooms in water until soft. 
2.  Slice the mushrooms and mix in all the ingredients to marinate for 5 hours or preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
3.  Pan-fry the marinated mushrooms over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. 
4.  Remove and leave to cool. Set aside.

Chestnuts

75g dried chestnuts

1.  Soak chestnuts overnight. 
2.  Then boil chestnuts in water with 1/4 tsp lye water until soft. Take one between your fore finger and thumb and squeeze. If it breaks then it is ready.
3.  Remove the brownish membranes from the ridges of the chestnuts with a toothpick.

Black-eyed beans

75g black-eyed beans

1.  Soak in water overnight.
2.  Then boil in water with 1 tsp salt until soft.

Split mung beans

100g split mung beans

1.  Soak in water overnight.
2.  Drain away the water.  Boil the mung beans with 1 1/2 tsp salt and 2 tsp sugar till soft.
3.  Drain dry. Set aside.

 Fresh gingko nuts

2 pre-packed packets, about 200g

1.  Cut into halves and remove the embryo as it is very bitter.
2.  Wash and drain. Then add in 1 tsp sugar.

Wrapping the dumpling

Please refer to my previous post Savoury Bamboo Leaf Dumpling for a step-by-step guide on wrapping the bamboo leaf dumplings. 

Makes 11 dumplings

Boiling the dumplings

1.  Bring 5 litres of water to a boil. Add in 3 tbsp salt to the boiling water.
2.  Put all the wrapped dumplings into the boiling water.
3.  Boil for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
4.  Drain away the water.

 

Grilled Honey Chicken

Grilled Honey Chicken

Recipe source :  The Star Newspaper :  Cook's Nook ( Amy Beh )

Given a choice, I would not choose chicken white meat as I had been "conditioned" to think white meat is tough and coarse, even though the health conscious would most certainly opt for white meat rather than drumsticks which are considered "fatty". However, during one of our office lunches, I asked my friends to order on my behalf as I would be joining them later. When my order arrived, I was served a plate of grilled white meat with an assortment of vegetables and fries. That platter looked very appetising and very soon I forgot all about my misconception about white meat because the chicken was not tough at all and very tasty.

Well, that platter of white meat certainly changed my view! So, when I browsed through my scrap book of recipes and came across this lovely recipe on grilled honey chicken, I wanted to try it out. 

This is great! Everything tastes wonderful!

Ingredients

350g chicken fillet
1 can pineapple rings
2 tomatoes, cut into halves

Marinade

1 1/2 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp French mustard
1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1.  Combine all the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add chicken fillet in the marinade and set aside for several hours in the refrigerator.
2.  Brush a grill pan lightly with oil and grill the marinated chicken for 8 to 9 minutes on each side or until the meat is cooked. ( Alternatively, grill in a preheated oven at 220 degree C for about 10 minutes on each side or until the meat is cooked ).
3.  Grill the pineapple rings and tomatoes halves until just soft. ( I used the left-over marinade to brush the pineapples and tomatoes before grilling ).
4.  Serve the grilled chicken meat with grilled pineapple rings and tomatoes halves.