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Ingredients:
- 360 grams of glutinous rice
- 200 grams of peeled mung beans
- 100 grams of shiitake mushrooms
- 20 lotus seeds, bitter germ must be removed
- 40 grams of salted egg yolk, diced
- 20 grams of dried scallops
- 40 bamboo leaves
- Some water grass
- 20 millilitres (ml) of cooking oil
- 10 grams of salt
- 2 grams of five spice powder
- Preparation:
- Wash the glutinous rice, mung beans, lotus seeds, shiitake mushrooms and dried scallops. Soak them overnight in the refrigerator.
- Drain the glutinous rice, mung beans and lotus seeds, and set aside.
- Steam the shiitake mushrooms and dried scallops for 30 minutes. Dice the mushrooms and shred the scallops. Then set aside.
- Wash the bamboo leaves and water grass carefully. Trim away the edges. Boil for 10 minutes. Then wash them with cold water, and set aside.
- Instructions on wrapping the rice dumplings:
- Before wrapping, mix the glutinous rice with cooking oil and salt in a bowl. Mix the mung beans with five spice powder in another bowl.
- Use a bamboo leaf to form a cone.
- Add glutinous rice first, and some mung beans. Place some lotus seeds, shiitake mushrooms, dried scallops and egg yolk in the middle. Add some mung beans. Then cover them with glutinous rice.
- Place a second leaf on top of the cone. Fold the leaves to the sides. Wrap and tie the rice dumpling with water grass.
- Cooking instructions:
- Put all wrapped rice dumplings into a large wok or pot.
- Add water until the rice dumplings are just submerged. Then bring the water to the boil.
- Switch to medium heat, and simmer the rice dumplings for an hour.
- Switch off the fire. Keep the rice dumplings in the hot water for half an hour.
- Drain out the rice dumplings. Serve warm.
- Tips:
- As some of the bamboo leaves might break during wrapping, always prepare extras.
- Make sure the dumplings are tied tightly. If not, the ingredients will leak into the water while cooking.
- Store the cooked rice dumplings in the refrigerator. To reheat, boil for 10 – 15 minutes, or steam for 30 minutes.
- Healthy tips:
- One of the ingredients of the traditional savoury rice dumpling is pork belly, which is high in fat. It can be replaced by healthier choices, such as dried scallops and shiitake mushrooms as shown in the recipe. Other options include lean meat or skinned chicken.
- To increase the amount of fibre, use less glutinous rice but more mung beans. Different kinds of beans can also be used.
- More healthy tips on eating rice dumplings:
- Eat the rice dumplings with a dish of blanched vegetables to maintain a healthy diet.
- Use less seasonings, such as soy sauce or sugar.
- Watch your portion size. Rice dumplings, which are made with glutinous rice, are much stickier than white rice. The amount of glutinous rice in a 250-gram savoury rice dumpling is comparable to 1.5 bowls of white rice.
Recipe for Savoury Rice Dumplings
Servings: 20 rice dumplings, about 75 grams each
Suggested answers
Steps of making rice dumplings
Order
Cook the rice dumplings in a large wok or pot for about 2 hours.5
Season the glutinous rice and mung beans.2
Make a cone with a bamboo leaf and add in fillings.3
Store the rice dumplings in the fridge.6
Wrap the rice dumplings with water grass.4
Prepare the ingredients.1
| Hint | ||
| A frying pan | A frying pan is used to fry food. | |
 |
A pair of kitchen scissors | Kitchen scissors are used to cut and trim objects. |
|
A sieve | A sieve is used to drain water / liquid. |
| A grater | A grater is used to grate food into small pieces. | |
|
A kitchen knife | A kitchen knife is used to cut or dice food. |
| A pair of oven gloves | Oven gloves are used to protect your hands from hot objects, e.g. when taking out objects from the oven. | |
| A rolling pin | A rolling pin is used to flatten pastry. | |
|
A wok / pot | A wok / pot is used to boil, simmer or steam food. A wok can also be used to stir-fry food. |
| A baking tray | A baking tray is used to bake food, usually in the oven. | |
|
A bowl | Read the "Instructions on wrapping the rice dumplings" again. |
|
A spoon | Read the "Instructions on wrapping the rice dumplings" again. |
| A whisk | A whisk is used to whisk, beat or blend food, e.g. eggs. |
Part D
(1) Sequence the following steps of making rice dumplings. The first one is given as an example.
Steps of making rice dumplings
Order
Cook the rice dumplings in a large wok or pot for about 2 hours.Season the glutinous rice and mung beans.Make a cone with a bamboo leaf and add in fillings.Store the rice dumplings in the fridge.Wrap the rice dumplings with water grass.Prepare the ingredients.(2) Read the recipe for savoury rice dumplings again. Which of the following kitchenware is needed? Put a tick in the correct boxes. You may tick more than one box.
| Hint | ||
| A frying pan | A frying pan is used to fry food. | |
| A pair of kitchen scissors | Kitchen scissors are used to cut and trim objects. | |
| A sieve | A sieve is used to drain water / liquid. | |
| A grater | A grater is used to grate food into small pieces. | |
| A kitchen knife | A kitchen knife is used to cut or dice food. | |
| A pair of oven gloves | Oven gloves are used to protect your hands from hot objects, e.g. when taking out objects from the oven. | |
| A rolling pin | A rolling pin is used to flatten pastry. | |
| A wok / pot | A wok / pot is used to boil, simmer or steam food. A wok can also be used to stir-fry food. | |
| A baking tray | A baking tray is used to bake food, usually in the oven. | |
| A bowl | Read the "Instructions on wrapping the rice dumplings" again. | |
| A spoon | Read the "Instructions on wrapping the rice dumplings" again. | |
| A whisk | A whisk is used to whisk, beat or blend food, e.g. eggs. |