Zongzi/Rice dumplings in bamboo leave
Zongzi/Rice dumplings in bamboo leave
Makes 20 dumplings
INGREDIENTS:
40 large dried bamboo leaves (2 for each zongzi) 20 long strings (for binding leaves)
1 kg (2.2 Ib) long grain sticky rice
2 kg (4.4 Ib) pork belly, sliced into 3 cm (1") cubes
10 salted duck's egg yolks
40 small dried shiitake (black) mushrooms
20 dried, shelled chestnuts
10 spring onions, cut up into 1 cm (1/2") lengths
500 g (18 oz) dried radish
100 g (3.5 oz) very small dried shrimp
200 g (7 oz) raw, shelled peanuts (with skins)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine
Vegetable oil
5 cloves of garlic, roughly crushed
1 teaspoon black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 star anise
1 teaspoon five spice powder
INSTRUCTIONS:
Prepare and cook ingredients
1. Soak rice in water for three hours, drain.
2. Stir-fry pork for a few minutes. Add chestnuts, soy sauce, rice wine, ground pepper, 1 teaspoon of sugar, star anise and five spice powder, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove pork and chestnuts from liquid and set aside.
3. Boil peanuts until tender (30 minutes to 1 hour).
4. Soak mushrooms until soft. Clean and trim stalks. Cut into 2 or 3 pieces. Stir-fry with a little liquid from pork stew.
5. Halve duck egg yolks.
6. Chop up dried radish finely and stir-fry with 1/2 teaspoon sugar and garlic.
7. Stir-fry spring onions until fragrant.
8. Stir-fry shrimp for a few minutes.
9. To a large wok or bowl, add rice, peanuts, radish, shrimp, spring onions, a little liquid from the stew mixture and 2 tablespoons of oil. Mix well.
Wrap zongzi
1. Soak bamboo leaves in warm water for 5 minutes to tenderise, before washing thoroughly in cold water.
2. Wet strings to make them more pliable.
3. Take 2 leaves with leaf stem or spine facing out. Overlap them lengthwise in inverse directions (pointed end of one leaf facing the rounded end of the other).
4. With both hands hold leaves about 2/3rds of the way along their length. At that point bend them so that they are parallel lengthwise and also overlap. This should produce a leaf pouch that you cup firmly in one hand.
5. Add a small amount of rice mixture, compressing with a spoon.
6. Add 1 piece each of pork, chestnut, mushroom, duck egg yoke.
7. Add more rice until you have nearly a full pouch. Compress firmly with a spoon.
8. Fold leaves over the open top of zongzi, then around to side until zongzi is firmly wrapped. Zongzi should be pyramid shaped with sharp edges and pointed ends. Trim off any excess leaf with scissors.
9. Tie up zongzi tightly just like shoes laces with a double knot. Normally they are tied to a bunch of zongzi.
10. *Steam for 1 hour, unwrap and serve.
Notes: Chinese groceries should stock most of these ingredients. They will almost certainly have the wrappers and strings in the lead up to the Dragon Boat Festival. Eat zongzi plain or with a sauce of your choice. Wrapped tightly in plastic, zongzi freeze well. To reheat, thaw, and without removing the bamboo leaves, steam (best option), or microwave. Before micro-waving, poke a very small hole in the wrapping and pour in 1/4 of a teaspoon of water to help prevent the zongzi drying out. To test for doneness, plunge a sharp fork into the centre of the zongzi. If the fork is hot, so is your snack.
*People in southern Taiwan prefer to fry the rice after soaking it. They also boil rather than steam zongzi.
From: http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-ubugali
杏仁茶 /Hung Yun Tsa/Chinese Almond Tea
杏仁茶 /Hung Yun Tsa/Chinese Almond Tea
Almond tea was one of those fine foods the imperial families in the older days enjoy eating, folklores said. They also said that the imperial concubines loved to eat this for keeping their skin supple and glowing.
Nowadays, almond tea 杏仁茶 is often served as a dessert, a sweet drink. It can be made solely from Chinese sweet almonds (aka south almonds), or with the addition of rice for a creamier texture, the traditional way.
It contains no processed leaves but is called a tea because in some cases, tea also means a drink in Chinese.
Making almond tea, like preparing soy bean milk, is all about soaking the kernels, grinding them with water and finally straining out the juice. In this recipe, we also add rice, sticky rice to be specific. You may also use white rice for a thinner texture or brown rice for a healthier choice.
Skinning Chinese sweet almonds could be as easy as skinning chestnuts. Or, you may also opt for those already skinned. Check it out at stores selling Chinese dried foods or dried herbs. Mind you, ask for sweet almonds (南not bitter almonds (北杏).
INGREDIENTS:
100g Chinese sweet almonds (apricot kernels aka south almonds)
40g glutinous (aka sticky) rice
~3C water
~30g rock sugar, or to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. To skin almonds, blanch them in boiling water for about a minute and immediately drain the kernels in a colander and rub off their skins with a towel (like this).
2. Wash sticky rice. Soak it in water for about 3 to 4 hours or according to instructions (wash and soak skinned almonds too, about an hour or two). Discard water.
3. Pulse rice and almonds with water in a food processor until finely ground, about half to one minute. Line colander with a muslin or fine clean cloth; place the colander over a bowl or pot to catch the liquid, strain juice from the pulp (photos) as much as possible.
4. Pour the juice into a pot, filling it only half full because the almond milk will turn frothy and may spill. Then cook it over medium to low heat until it reaches a boil, stirring occasionally; you may add some more water for a thinner consistency. Add sugar, and simmer until dissolved.
Serve hot or chilled (I like it hot).
From: http://www.tastehongkong.com/recipes/chinese-almond-tea-traditional-style/
八宝饭 /Babaofan/Eight Treasure Rice Pudding
八宝饭 /Babaofan/Eight Treasure Rice Pudding
"This is a famous traditional banquet dessert. Usually it contains eight kinds of dried candied fruits that represent eight precious stones."
INGREDIENTS:
1 ounce lotus seeds
2 cups cold water
2 ounces Chinese red dates
2 cups glutinous rice
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons oil
1 red maraschino cherry, stemless
1 cup any candied fruits
1 cup red bean paste
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Add lotus seeds to cold water in saucepan. Bring to boil. Simmer on low heat 20 minutes. Drain and cool. Split into halves. Set aside.
2. Put red dates in bowl on rack in pot or in steamer. Steam covered over boiling water 30 minutes. Set aside.
3. Put rice in pot with water level 3/4 inch above rice. Bring to boil. Simmer 20 minutes. Stir in sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Mix well. Set aside.
4. Grease medium-sized bowl heavily with oil. Place cherry in center. Arrange lotus seeds, red dates, and candied fruits in circles around bottom and up to edge of bowl, glazed side down.
5. Spread a layer of rice mixture over fruits carefully so as not to spoil the design. Spoon a layer of red bean paste over the rice. Cover with another layer of rice. Pack tight.
6. Place bowl on rack in pot or in steamer. Cover. Steam over boiling water 1 hour. Remove pudding carefully by running flexible spatula around edge. Put serving plate over bowl and invert bowl.
7. Serve pudding with Sweet Almond Sauce - Boil 3 tablespoons sugar in 1 cup water, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stir in 1 teaspoon almond extract. Thicken with 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water.
From: https://www.thespruce.com/preserved-whole-kumquats-recipe-1327851
