Festive dumplings with a twist or two

BUKIT MERTAJAM: For the Goh sisters, making bak chang (Chinese rice dumplings) is an annual affair, and their friends and relatives will vouch for this tasty treat every Dragon Boat Festival.

Hwee Gim, 60, and Sally, 64, learnt to make the dumplings from their mother when they were teenagers.

The younger sibling said her specialty is the bak chang while Sally’s expertise is in making kee chang (alkaline rice dumplings), which is traditionally served with brown sugar syrup.

“Over the years, I’ve refined my bak chang recipe to enhance its flavour. Traditionally, the teochew rice dumplings are only filled with marinated pork, salted egg, chestnuts and mushrooms.

“However, I add a special condiment made of garlic, small onions, five-spice powder, pepper and salt, which I fry together before putting into the dumplings,” she said at her home in Taman Impian here.

Hwee Gim added that they start making dumplings once they receive orders, noting that between them, they can make at least 3,000 dumplings in four days.

“The great thing about my bak chang is its versatility. The fillings can be customised to suit all tastes. Customers can request fillings that they desire, be it chicken, vegetarian or seafood.

“When there are too many orders, we get our children and even grandchildren to help out. At times, we work till 11pm to fulfil orders,” she said.

Sally said making the kee chang looks easy. But in reality, it is time consuming and each batch could take up to two and a half hours to cook in a vat of water.

“We have to increase prices by RM1 and RM3 as prices of ingredients have shot up, especially the bamboo leaves used to wrap and seal the dumplings.

“For the past two years, I have been making tiny versions of kee chang for friends to use as decorations in their cars. It can last up to a year before drying up,” she added.

Called zong zi in Mandarin, rice dumplings are a staple during the Dragon Boat Festival.

Also known as Duan Wu Festival, it is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which falls tomorrow.

The festival is celebrated to commemorate the poet Qu Yuan, who drowned himself about 1,000 years ago to protest corrupt practices in China.

After his death, people threw zong zi in a gesture to stop fish from feeding on his remains.