Rice Dumplings

Although it is always possible to buy rice dumplings (粽子) almost anywhere in Asia, I think homemade ones taste the best. I grew up eating only the fillings of the rice dumplings until I realised how the steamed glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, whose faint fragrance permeates into the rice, taste so splendid when savoured together with the fillings.

It is customary for us Chinese to celebrate a certain special occasion with a certain traditional food. Rice dumplings are eaten on the Dragon Boat Festival (端午节) which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month on the chinese lunar calendar, hence it’s also known as double fifth.

This year, the festival falls on the 8th of June so my family members gathered for a mini dumpling-making session on the day before the festival.

My favourite has got to be Ba-zhang (肉粽), also the commonest kind of rice dumpling. The fillings include ingredients such as egg yolks, minced meat, mushrooms and chestnuts which are added to the glutinous rice to bring in more dimensions of taste and make this a more wholesome snack.

The many rice dumplings made had to be boiled in a big pot of boiling water, which means there must be enough space. There wasn’t, so we had to do it right outside the flat’s doorstep at the corridor. Here’s the delivery man helping us setting up the burner with the tank of LPG.

Notice that different rice are used for different kinds of rice dumplings

Working in progress

The end product (= We made hundreds of rice dumplings! Alright, to be specific, my Mom and Aunt. My Grandmom prepared the ingredients. My cousins and I helped with groceries and buying breakfast for everyone. Everyone contributed!

Madeline puak doh on our way back from the market. Hahahaha I had to write this down so that I won’t forget about this incident.

When we had nothing to do, and is desperately waiting for the rice dumplings to be steamed, the only thing we could do is to find entertainment. Let the PSPs do the job! There should be another white PSP slim belonging to Alyssa but it was confiscated by her Mom for underperforming in school. Hahahah. I am sure there will be another lavender one joining the PSP gang – I will get it. Lol.

I am seriously so busy every single day. And my phone gets a lil crazy at times which is extremely irritating.

My appetite on that day was humongous. No wait, gargantuan (zomg!)!!! You won’t want to imagine how much I ate in a single day.

We had late dinner / supper at a roadside stall near Mustafa Centre. Most of us had the famous 云吞面, while a few had prawn mee.

Food photos!

And a few candid ones..

人就是要学会知足。。

我够幸福了。

~ by zyhsim on June 10, 2008.