Contributed by reader, Renita Chong
If you've got time, try making one of these delicious rice dumplings by hand. It may seem complicated at first, but practice makes perfect. Best of all, you can vary the fillings (more mushrooms, pork, anyone?) to your own liking. Have fun.
Ingredients:
Glutinous Rice (to be soaked for 2 hours. Drain and add salt)
Dried Shrimps (soaked in hot water)
Dried Chinese Mushrooms (soaked in hot water and sliced)
Sweet Winter Melon Strips (cut into small pieces)
Minced Pork (to be marinated with chopped onions, soya sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and corn flour)
Garlic (chopped)
Chestnut (to be boiled and peeled)
Dried Bamboo Leaves (to be wet)
String
Filling:
Grease a big wok and fry the garlic until light brown.
Squeeze the dried prawns free of water and add them in the wok. Fry.
Add the mushrooms. Fry.
Add the minced pork. Fry, occasionally adding the water used from soaking the dried prawns and the mushrooms.
Add dark soya sauce, sugar and pepper to your liking. Fry until the filling is almost dry.
Methods:
Wrap some glutionous rice using bamboo leaves. Each dumpling has to look like little 3D pyramids. First, grease the right side of the leaves and fold in such a way so that you get a pocket.
Hold firmly. Scoop 2 tablespoonfuls of rice and put it into the pocket, carefully making sure that they are spread against the sides.
Scoop in about 3 or more spoonfuls of the filling. Press to make sure it is compact.
Follow this with another 2 tablespoonfuls of rice, again making sure the dumpling is compact before wrapping.
Close the "lid" of the "pocket", folding both sides down and lastly, fold the tip. Tie the dumpling tight with a string.
After wrapping all the dumplings, submerge them into a big pot of boiling water and boil for about 1 hour 30 minutes. After that, let them drip dry.