Bakcang (Sticky Rice Dumpling)

I remember as a kid watching my Grandma made a huge bunch of these for Dragon Boat festival every year.  It was all very fascinating and looked almost too impossible to do!  The smell of bamboo leaves instantly reminds me of her <3

Please note that this will make around 15-18 dumplings.  However this will depend on how big/small you make yours.

Ingredients:

• 50 Bamboo Leaves, soaked in cold water overnight

*Note: i always soak extra just in case the leaves tear when wrapping

• Cooking String

Rice:

• 1 kg sticky rice, rinsed & soaked in cold water overnight
• 1 Tbsp Cooking Oil
• 50 gr Eschallots, finely chopped
• 15 gr Garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
• 1/2 tsp White Pepper
• 3 Tbsp Kecap Manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
• 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil

Filling:

• 12 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in cold water overnight
• 3 tbsp dried shrimp, soaked in cold water overnight

*Note: reserve the mushroom & dried shrimp soaking water

• 4 links Lap Cheong (Chinese sausages)
• 3 Tbsp Cooking Oil
• 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
• 85 gr Eschallots, finely chopped
• 20 gr Garlic
• 700 gr Minced Pork
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 6 Tbsp Kecap Manis
• 2 Tbsp Shaoxing Wine
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 1/2 tsp White Pepper
• 30 gr Spring Onion, finely chopped
• 4 Tbsp crispy eschallots (store-bought)

Methods:

Bamboo leaves

1. Wipe the soaked bamboo leaves with damp paper towel.  Do this very thoroughly on both sides of the leaves to make sure leaves are clean. 
2. Snip off the woody end of each leaf.  This will make wrapping easier.

String

1. Please refer to the video tutorial - 3:41

Filling

1. Thinly slice rehydrated shiitake mushrooms. Roughly chop the rehydrated shrimp.  Reserve the soaking water for cooking. Set these aside.
2. Slice lap cheong into rounds.  Pan fry without oil. Set aside.
3. In a heated pan, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and eschallots.  Stir fry until fragrant.  Then add garlic and stir fry until fragrant.
4. Add in the rehydrated shrimp, shiitake mushroom and lap cheong.  Stir fry for 3 minutes and push it to one side of the pan.
5. Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil on the other side of the pan. Add in the minced pork, break it up and stir fry until no longer pink.  Mix it all up with the mushroom, shrimp and lap cheong.
6. Season with 7 tablespoons of the mushroom and shrimp soaking water, soy sauce, kecap manis, shaoxing wine, salt, sugar and white pepper.  Mix well then turn off the heat.
7. Add in the chopped spring onion, the remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and crispy eschallots.  Mix it well and set aside.

Rice

1. Drain soaked water. Set aside.
2. In a heated pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil, eschallots and garlic.  Stir fry until fragrant.
3. Add the rice, salt, fish sauce, pepper, kecap manis.  Mix well and stir fry for 20 minutes.  Make sure to keep stirring to prevent the rice from catching on the bottom of your pan.
4. Turn off the heat and drizzle in the sesame oil.  Mix well and set aside.

Wrapping

1. Please refer to the video tutorial - 5:04

Boiling

1. Please refer to the video tutorial - 8:03