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taste
HOW TO WRAP

thesundaytimes June 17, 2012

Dumpling making a family tradition

While most people prefer to buy rice dumplings, some families enjoy making their own
Kenneth Goh

or the past five years, full-time national serviceman Tiong Wen Shuo practised wrapping rice dumplings on the sidelines while observing his grandmother, Madam Lim Peak Lian, 74, make perfect ones in minutes. The 19-year-old says: I did not even make it to the final stage of wrapping as the rice and fillings would fall apart during the folding process. So he took to placing a bowl underneath so that if it all came apart, the ingredients would fall into the bowl. His perseverance paid off. This year, he passed grandmas test and joins his familys rice dumpling wrapping party. For the past nine years, they have been making dumplings in the backyard of Madam Lims terrace house in Telok Kurau Road. While most people buy their dumplings for the Dragon Boat Festival, the Kwek family is one which prefers to make its own. These pyramid-shaped dumplings are commonly eaten during the festival celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. This year, it will be celebrated next Saturday. The festival commemorates the death of one of Chinas most prolific poets, Qu Yuan, in 278BC. He committed suicide while in exile and villagers threw dumplings into the river as an offering to his spirit and to feed the fish that might attack his body. They also got into boats and banged on drums to keep the fish away. The dumplings are stuffed with glutinous rice, meat and vegetable fillings, and are typically wrapped in bamboo leaves and bound by string. Keeping this tradition alive is Madam Lim who has been making rice dumplings for more than 60 years. She says in Mandarin: When I lived in Muar in Malaysia in the 1950s, my mother and I went to my grandmothers house to wrap dumplings with relatives. It was a bustling affair. These days, she and her sister, daughter and daughter-in-law carry on the tradition. Every year, they make more than 200 dumplings for family and friends. The quartet makes three types of rice dumplings: Hokkien-style; kee zhang, which has alkali water added to it; and a Teochew-style Nonya dumpling. The last type is a sweet and savoury dumpling,

PHOTOS: LIM WEIXIANG FOR THE STRAITS TIMES

1. Place two bamboo leaves over each other so that they overlap each other halfway. Fold the leaves in half and bring both edges together to form a triangular pouch.

PHOTOS: LIM WEIXIANG FOR THE STRAITS TIMES

Madam Lim Peak Lian (centre) preparing rice dumplings with her daughter, May Tiong, and grandson, Tiong Wen Shuo.

2. Fill the pouch with 1 Tbs of uncooked glutinuous rice, 1 Tbs of filling, seven mushroom slices, one chestnut, one ball of red bean paste. The pouch should be three-quarters full.

stuffed with minced pork and red bean paste. Madam Lim inherited these recipes from her mother and remains largely faithful to them although some family members ask for modifications. The mother of six and grandmother of 11 says: Some will ask for salted duck egg yolks, more mushrooms or meat. Preparation usually starts two weeks before the festival when the spritely Madam Lim visits sundry goods stores at Rochor Road Centre. She spends about $100 on ingredients to make 200 dumplings. She also wakes up at 6am on the day she makes the dumplings to supervise the frying of the meat filling. The wrapping and cooking take around six hours. She says: I take the trouble to make rice dumplings once a year as my grandchildren eat only my homemade ones. She adds that her dumplings come with more generous portions of meat filling

compared to the mass-produced ones in stores. For retired administrator Shirley Kwan, making rice dumplings reinforces the significance of the festival. The 60-year-old can wrap about 400 dumplings with her older sister in one day. She says: Rice dumplings can be bought and eaten on any other day but what makes homemade dumplings special is the joy of sharing them with relatives and friends. Madam Kwan taught herself how to make Nonya-style dumplings from a Cantonese cuisine cookbook 10 years ago and has since fine-tuned the recipe according to her familys preferences. She says: The effort is worthwhile, when you taste the fragrance of the meat, and juiciness of the dumplings, and is reminded of what you have not tasted for a year. For laboratory technologist Carol Goh, 56, it is the company that counts during dumpling wrapping sessions, which she

has been a part of since she was 18. Every year, she makes about 50 Hokkien-style dumplings, with her two older sisters, in the week leading to the festival. She says: It is fun to get together and chat while wrapping these dumplings and I tend to enjoy eating food which I have prepared more. Homemade dumplings are the only way to go for Wen Shuo, who proudly proclaims that he eats only those made by his grandmother. He says: It just tastes different. The meat is so much fresher and the flavours are richer. He notes that the deft wrapping skills can come in handy. It is a useful skill to have when I crave rice dumplings overseas in the future, he says. Besides, it is a pity if this tradition does not get passed down to the next generation. kengohsz@sph.com.sg

3.Add 1 Tbs filling and 1 Tbs of rice and compress the ingredients with the back of a spoon.

TEOCHEW-STYLE NONYA DUMPLINGS

Makes 30 Ingredients 60 bamboo leaves 1kg of glutinous rice 1 /2 tsp five spice powder 1 tsp coriander powder 1 /2 tsp white pepper Pinch of salt For the filling 2 Tbs cooking oil 300g shallots, peeled and finely chopped 1kg minced pork 1 /2 tsp salt 1 /2 tsp white pepper 400g dried shrimp, rinsed and drained 500g of winter melon strips, diced to small cubes 1 /2 tsp five spice powder 1 tsp coriander powder

30 chestnuts, boiled and skinned 100g dried shiitake mushrooms, washed, soaked and sliced 400g red bean paste, rolled into 30 small balls

five spice powder, coriander powder, pepper and salt. 5. Make the filling: Heat oil in a large wok. Fry shallots in the oil until brown. 6. Add minced pork, salt, white pepper, dried shrimps, diced winter melon strips, five spice powder and coriander powder. Fry over medium heat until fragrant, about 15 minutes. 7. Wrap the dumplings. Refer to the Raffia string step-by-step guide (right). 6 to 8 pandan 8. To cook the dumplings, fill a large pot leaves two-thirds of the way with water. Knot the pandan leaves together and put in the pot. ST PHOTO: DELON HO Method Bring the water to a boil. 1. Soak bamboo 9. Add dumplings to the water, making sure leaves overnight in a pot of water. There is no need to they are fully immersed. dry the leaves before using as the water makes them 10. After one hour over high heat, use a stick to switch more flexible during the wrapping. the positions of the bundles of dumplings. (Each bundle 2. Wash the glutinous rice and soak overnight. can hold about 10). 3. Drain the soaked glutinous rice, let it sit in a fine11. Boil the dumplings for another hour. mesh sieve until ready to wrap. 12. Remove the dumplings from the pot, cool for about 4. Mix the drained glutinous rice thoroughly with the two hours before eating.

4. Fold down the end of the leaves to seal the pouch, and pinch the edges to secure the pyramid shape of the dumpling. Ensure that there are no gaps in the parcel.

5. Bundle long strands of raffia on a kitchen hook, peel each string into a thinner strand. Use each strand to secure a dumpling, by winding three times around one side. Knot the string. Each cluster holds 10 dumplings.

Have them sweet and chilled too

Savoury rice dumplings may be more popular during the Dragon Boat Festival but more eateries are offering chilled and sweet dessert-style ones. Instead of rice-heavy concoctions, these unorthodox creations have a pudding-like texture and feature more exotic flavours, such as dragon fruit, avocado and yuzu. At least eight hotels and restaurants are offering sweet dumplings this year. One of them is Peach Blossoms at Marina Mandarin Singapore, which is rolling out mini crystal dumplings for the first time this year. These jelly-like parcels have fruits or sweet fillings encased in a translucent skin, reminiscent of crystal dumplings served in dim sum restaurants. Chef Kerene Cheng, 37, Peach Blossoms dim sum chef, believes that these dumplings are healthier alternatives to their meat-laden counterparts. She says: These dumplings do not give a cloying feeling after one serving as they are made mostly with fruit. Min Jiang, which has outlets at Goodwood Park Hotel and Rochester Park, is introducing kee zhang or rice dumpling made with alkali water, with durian dip. Riding on the Goodwood Park Hotels reputation for durian-based pastries, the hotel decided to pair the dumplings with the king of fruit. At Peony Jade at Clarke Quay and Keppel Club in Bukit Chermin, its Cooling Tutti-Fruitti flavour dessert dumpling was so well received last year that it is offering it for the second time this year. These pudding-like dumplings contain fresh fruits such as mango and rambutan. Mr Robert Han, group general manager of The Quayside Group, which owns Peony Jade, notes that these dumplings are targeted at the young. He says: This is the only way to entice and encourage the younger and more adventurous generation to learn more about the significance of the Dragon Boat Festival. Bank officer Ong Siew Feng is one such diner. The 24-year-old, who counts red bean rice dumplings as her favourite, is keen to try this new generation of sweet dumplings. She says: I am curious to find out how a jelly wrapped in bamboo leaves looks like and if it tastes good. Five dessert dumplings to try: 1. Mini Treasures Crystal Dumpling What: Bited-sized crystal dumplings in five flavours, such as black sesame with sweet rice and lemongrass with mango cubes. Where: Peach Blossoms, Marina Mandarin Singapore, Level 5, open: noon to 2.30pm, 6.30 to 10.30pm (Mondays to Fridays), 11am to 2.30pm, 6.30 to 10.30pm (Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays), tel: 6845-1118 Price: $28.80 for a set of five dumplings 2. Cooling Tutti-Frutti Flavour Dessert Dumpling (above right) What: Pyramid-shaped puddings in four flavours,

4. Red Bean Paste With Ginseng Rice Dumpling What: A bittersweet concoction of sweet red bean paste with sliced American ginseng. Where: Shang Palace, Lobby Level, Shangri-La Hotel, 22 Orange Grove Road, tel: 6213-4473, open: noon to 2.30pm, 6 to 10.30pm (Mondays to Fridays), 10.30am to 3pm, 6 to 10.30pm (Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays) Price: $12.80 each 5. Sweet Potato Multigrain Dumpling With Brown Sugar (below) What: Chunks of richly flavoured sweet potato encased within multigrain glutinous rice. Where: Cherry Garden, level 5 Mandarin Oriental Singapore, 5 Raffles Boulevard, tel: 6885-3538, open: noon to 2.30pm, 6.30 to 10.30pm (Mondays to Sundays) Price: $8 each

including avocado with gula melaka, and mao shan wang durian Where: Peony Jade, Bukit Chermin Road, Keppel Club, Level M, tel: 6276-9138/8327, open: 11am to 2.30pm, 6 to 11pm (Mondays to Fridays), 10am to 3pm, 6 to 11pm (Saturdays and Sundays). Price: $18.80 for a set of four dumplings, order at least three days in advance 3. Steamed Kee Zhang With Durian Dip What: Plain mini glutinous dumplings, with D24 durian dip Where: Min Jiang, Goodwood Park Hotel, 22 Scotts Road, tel: 6730-1704, Min Jiang at One-North, 5 Rochester Park, tel: 6774-0122, open: 11am to 2.30pm, 6 to 10.30pm (Mondays to Sundays) for both restaurants. Price: $4.80 for three pieces, order one day in advance

PHOTOS: DESMOND FOO, PEONY JADE