Nyonya Chang is a flavorful and colorful sticky rice dumpling, a beloved Peranakan dish. This recipe combines glutinous rice, savory pork filling, and fragrant pandan leaves, all wrapped in bamboo leaves. The addition of blue pea flowers gives the rice a beautiful natural blue hue. Perfect for special occasions or a taste of Southeast Asian heritage. Each bite offers a blend of textures and tastes, from the tender rice to the rich filling. Prepare to...
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Soak the mushrooms and dried shrimp until soft. Dice the mushrooms and chop the dried shrimps. Reserve 150ml of mushroom water from soaked mushrooms.
Blanch the skinless pork belly with 1 tablespoon of cooking wine for about 12 minutes. Take the pork out, let it cool, and dice into small pieces.
Toast the coriander seeds and white peppercorn until fragrant and a little bit brown. Remove and grind it. Sieve them to remove the larger particles and get a finer powder. Combine both of them and mix with 1 – 2 tablespoons of water to form a paste.
Chop the shallots and mince the garlic. Half for filling and the other half is for stir-frying the glutinous rice.
Chop the candied winter melon.
Heat the pan with some cooking oil, sauté half of the chopped shallots and minced garlic until translucent. Add dried shrimps, cook until fragrant. Stir in soya bean paste, diced mushrooms, pork belly, and candied winter melon. Pour in dark soy sauce and the reserve 150ml mushrooms water. Continue stirring until the filling dries up. Taste and adjust saltiness with light soy sauce. Let it cool and keep in the fridge.
Soak the glutinous rice overnight.
Soak the bamboo leaves and straw rope overnight. Blanch them in boiling water for 10 minutes.
Wash and boil dried blue pea flowers until the water turns dark blue.
Heat some cooking oil in a wok, sauté the remaining chopped shallots and minced garlic. Stir fry briefly, add glutinous rice together with 1 ½ teaspoon of salt and 100ml water. Continue stirring until the rice dries up.
Remove 2/3 of the rice. Add the blue pea flower to the leftover rice in the wok, keep stirring until the rice dries up again and all the rice well coated with the blue pea flower water.
Wipe the bamboo leaves, stack two leaves smooth side up, cut off both ends and fold the leaves into corn shape. Put in a piece of pandan leaf.
Fill the glutinous blue pea rice and press down hard. Add a full spoon of filling, cover with white rice, and some blue pea rice at the top. Compress it tightly into the bamboo leaves and fold into a pyramid shape. Tie with bamboo string tightly.
Bring the pressure cooker with enough water to boil over high heat, put in the rice dumplings, cover the pressure valve when steam begins to emerge, reduce to medium and low heat and cook for 30 minutes, then turn off the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the pressure valve and completely release the steam in the pot, then remove the dumplings from the pressure cooker.
Ensure the bamboo leaves are pliable by soaking them well, preventing them from tearing during wrapping.
Compress the rice tightly in the bamboo leaves to create a firm dumpling.
Adjust the soy sauce in the filling according to your preference for saltiness.
Use a pressure cooker for faster cooking, but simmering on the stovetop works too.
Can I use other types of meat for the filling?
Yes, you can substitute pork belly with chicken or beef. Adjust the cooking time accordingly.
How do I store Nyonya Chang?
Store cooked Nyonya Chang in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat by steaming or microwaving.
Can I freeze Nyonya Chang?
Yes, you can freeze cooked Nyonya Chang for up to 2 months. Thaw completely before reheating.
What can I use if I don't have blue pea flowers?
If blue pea flowers are unavailable, you can omit them or use a natural food coloring for a similar effect. The flavor will be slightly different.
How do I prevent the rice from sticking to the bamboo leaves?
Make sure the bamboo leaves are well-wiped and slightly oiled before filling with rice. This will prevent sticking.
I loved to cook and enjoyed learning about all sort of cuisines. Today, I am still in the kitchen and every chance I get, I cook. Some days it isn’t even fancy or a hard recipe. Some days it’s a classic, but something that I’ve created. Cooking is my time to be me.
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