Bonding over bak changs

I know I am one week late from Duan Wu Jie (Rice Dumpling/Dragon Boat Festival) but what better way to cheer up your Mondays than to ogle at pictures of delicious bak changs (glutinous rice dumplings with fillings? :)

My mum has declared my mum-in-law’s bak changs as SHIOK! And she has proclaimed that my mum-in-law has God-given culinary talent! Haha! :)

But seriously once you have tried her rice dumplings so chock-full of ingredients, you don’t ever want to eat store-brought ones!

Here she is meticulously making each dumpling by scratch! Ingredients are glutinous rice (well-seasoned with soya sauce, salt, etc..), salted egg yolks, dried shrimp, chestnuts, pork and mushrooms.

After wrapping them, they are cooked for an hour and a half in a pot of boiling water, thoroughly heated over a charcoal stove.

Freshly cooked off the pot!

All ready to be devoured!

So what’s this bonding over bak changs that I am talking about? Well, my mum-in-law was basically stuck in the same position for several hours wrapping bak changs! And what could she do except to answer my many many questions? Usually she would be busy around the house, cleaning or cooking but this is the first time she literally just sat still! And I am so glad that I took the opportunity to talk to her (in my cannot make it Chinese). She is better at Hokkien which I speak zilch so I’m glad she endured my language impediment! And it was really good quality time spent together and I got to know her so much better :)

And now excuse me as I am off to gobble up the rest of the many bak changs we brought home! :)