We’ve finally reached the third installment in the Bak Chang series and today, I will feature our family Bak Chang recipe. Now, this recipe is definitely not for beginners as a considerable amount of skill and estimation on ingredients are required. You see, with home-cooked food, we don’t measure ingredients using measuring spoons or cups. Rather, it’s a lot to do with estimation or what the locals call “agak-agak” (“estimate”). So, this recipe is a guide for you so that you roughly know what ingredients go into the Bak Chang and how is is prepared and cooked.

This Bak Chang recipe is quite close to the Nyonya Bak Chang especially in the taste department. It is probably world’s apart from Cantonese Bak Chang which tends to be a bit on the saltish side and contains bigger chunks of ingredients. Those who are fond of eating saltish Bak Changs might find this not suited to their palate because our Bak Chang recipe is sweet and saltish with a slight emphasis on the former. Nevertheless, for those who are craving for a slightly sweetish Bak Chang, this might be the recipe you are looking for. In this recipe, we are looking at making approximately 25 Bak Changs depending on how you wrap the Bak Chang.

This is our family recipe for Bak Chang

Ingredients

• 1 kg glutinous rice (washed, pre-soaked for 4 to 6 hours and drained)
• 1 kg pork (lean pork from the fore thigh, cut into small cubes not more than 1cm sides)
• 300 grammes dried winter melon (cut into small cubes not more than 1cm sides)
• 250 grammes dried prawns (rinsed and pounded)
• 15 pieces chinese dried mushroom (pre-soaked till soft and cut into cubes not more than 1 cm sides)
• 8 shallots (sliced thinly)
• 1 bulb garlic (chopped)
• 60 pieces Bak Chang bamboo leaves (washed thoroughly and boiled for 15 minutes to soften)
• 5 tablespoons cooking oil
• 10 pieces pandan leaves (knotted)
• Reed or Banana stem reed to tie

Seasoning

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons dark soya sauce
• 4 tablespoons coriander powder (ketumbar)
• Liberal dashes of white pepper powder

Method
Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil in wok and fry 1/2 the garlic and shallots till aromatic. Add glutinous rice, 1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce, 1 tablespoon of ketumbar and 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper powder. Stir well. Remove and leave to cool.

Heat up 3 tablespoons of cooking oil in wok and fry the other half of garlic and shallots till aromatic. Add dried prawns and stir till aromatic. Next, add mushrooms and pork. Stir well followed by adding of winter melon and seasoning to taste. Stir till even and pork is cooked. Set aside to cool.

Wrap the Bak Changs. Bring to boil a large pot of water and throw in the pandan leaves. Boil Bak Chang for 3 hours completely submerged and covered. For best results, use a charcoal stove. For quick cooking, use a pressure cooker and boil for approximately 45 minutes on pressure and 15 minutes standing.

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Bak Chang Recipe

Bak Chang (or Zongzi), meat enclosed in glutinous rice filling, is traditionally eaten in June for the Chinese. It stemmed from the Dragon Boat Festival which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, to commemorate the death of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet from the kingdom of Chu who lived during the Warring States period. Of course, in this day and time, eating Bak Chang is more of a “seasonal food” though it is not uncommon to see Bak Chang being sold all year round.

I have been brought up to eat Bak Chang made by my parents and for me, our homemade Bak Zhang is incomparably delicious. Many of our relatives will ask for a couple of these southern-styled Bak Zhang whenever they hear my parents making them. Our family Bak Zhang is closely related to the Nyonya Bak Zhang in taste though the presentation is a little different. The pork is cut into bits rather than cubes (which are more common with Cantonese-Styled Bak Zhang) and freshly-toasted coriander seeds (also known as Ketumbar) which are blended into powder are used.

Just like our family Popiah recipe, our Bak Zhang recipe is also lengthy and labourious but the hardwork comes with immediate satisfaction as these delicious dumplings are savoured over a cup of chinese tea. When I was in my teens, I could eat about 4 of these Bak Zhangs in one sitting! There were even times when I had them for breakfast and lunch and had to be stopped from eating them for dinner on the same day because mum was worried about my over-indulgence!

Anyway, this will be a 3 part series on Bak Zhang. Following up from this post will be an exclusive video on wrapping Bak Zhang expertly performed by my parents. It’s nice to see my dad and mum combining their skills to create these delicious Bak Zhangs. The finale will be the unveiling of our family’s secret recipe for bak zhang in the hope that it can be passed on to the rest of the world. So, do watch this space!

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Teaser : Bak Chang Filling

Popiah or Popia is a dish which my mum usually cook during Ching Ming Festival (April). I have yet to learn this dish because it is labourous and demanding. I must say that I am quite biased (and with good reasons) with Popiahs because to me, only mum’s Popiah is the best (and many others say so too). Her Popiah is unlike what is sold commercially as it contains more than 10 ingredients and the vegetables are painstakingly cut into fine slivers (just slightly thicker than a toothpick) rather than going through a shredding tool. It is no wonder then that relatives would “book” a few (or quite a lot) rolls of Popiah whenever they hear that she is making some.

According to mum, there can be no shortcut to making a good Popiah. The ones sold outside which are predominantly turnip and carrot filling just don’t do justice to how a good Popiah should be made and taste like. Even the sauce spread is sourced from southern Johor / Singapore – sweet flour sauce. I suppose this is because coming from Pontian, our tastebud is much influenced by what’s available down south. And that’s not all, Popiah skin which is specially ordered from the market is used rather than the ones sold in supermarket and kept frozen. Yes, we are very particular indeed in making a good tasting Popiah.

When I asked mum for the recipe for this Popiah, I was stuck actually because mum does not use a measuring type of recipe. Rather, just like how cooking is like second nature, the ingredients and seasoning are a matter of estimates or what we Malaysians call “agak-agak”. Hence, I had to help her to make a rough estimate of the ingredients used to make this delicious dish of Popiah. If you are game for a cooking challenge, try this Popiah recipe especially if you can get your hands on the exact ingredients available. You won’t be disappointed.

This is mum’s recipe for Popiah

Ingredients
Filling (A)

• 1 bowl belly pork (3 layer pork) (boiled for 5 minutes, cooled and shredded finely)
• 1 bowl shelled prawns (cut into small pieces)
• 1 bowl turnip (cut into fine slivers just thicker than a toothpick)
• 1 bowl french beans (cut into fine slivers just thicker than a toothpick)
• 1 bowl carrot (cut into fine slivers just thicker than a toothpick)
• 1/2 bowl cabbage (cut into fine slivers just thicker than a toothpick)
• 1 bowl firm bean curd (cut into fine slivers just thicker than a toothpick and deep fried)
• 1 bowl bamboo shoot (cut into fine slivers just thicker than a toothpick)
• 1/2 bowl shallots (cut finely)
• 1/4 bowl garlic (cut finely)
• 5 tablespoons oil

Seasoning (B)

• Salt to taste
• Sugar to taste
• 1 teaspoon white pepper powder
• 4 tablespoons light soya sauce
• 2 tablespoons brandy

(C)

• 4 large eggs (beaten, fried thinly omelette-style in non-stick pan and cut into thin shreds)
• 1 cup bean sprouts (tailed and blanched)
• 1 cup finely shredded cucumber
• 1 cup pork loin (boiled till cooked, allow to cool and shred finely using fingers)
• Lettuce and chinese celery
• 1 cup peanut sugar (toast peanut in wok till brown, remove peanut skin, ground it till almost fine and mix with sugar on 1 peanut:1/2 sugar ratio)
• Sweet flour sauce
• Chilli spread (optional. Blend red chilli with garlic)
• Popiah skin

Method

Separate the following into 5 equal portions:- pork belly, prawns, shallots, garlic and cooking oil.

Heat 1st portion of oil in wok and fry 1st portion of shallots and garlic till aromatic. Add pork belly and prawns and stir well for 2 minutes. Add turnips and stir till turnips slightly limp. Remove from wok and place in a big pot.

Cook the rest of the ingredients (french beans, carrot, cabbage and bamboo shoots) one by one just like how the turnips were cooked above and layer them in the pot.

After the 5 main ingredients were cooked and layered in the pot, heat up the pot and add the fried bean curd. Add seasoning and mix the ingredients thoroughly. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep the ingredients warm till required.

To serve the Popiah, place a piece of Popiah skin on a flat round plate. Spread a teaspoon of sweet flour sauce (and chilli spread if desired) in the centre of the skin and sprinkle some peanut sugar on the sauce. Tear a piece of lettuce and place over the peanut sugar. Using a tablespoon and fork, place 2 to 3 spoonfuls of filling ingredients (A) on top of the lettuce after squeezing out excess gravy. Arrange the ingredients like a sausage / roll. Top with a little fried egg, bean sprouts, cucumber, pork loin and chinese celery. Fold the sides, tuck in firmly then roll up tightly.

Serve immediately.

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Popiah

Wheat Gluten or called miàn jÄ«n in Chinese (traditional : 麵筋, simplified : 面筋, literally “noodle/dough tendon”; also spelled mien chin or mien ching) is one of my favourite “vegetarian” ingredients. My mum was taught how to make wheat gluten (we call it mee kun in hokkien or meen kan in cantonese) by a neighbour in Kuching many years back. It is not as easy to get this in the market compared to tofu-based products and it is usually associated with vegetarian dishes. I will come up with a vegetarian recipe in the next post.

Upon discovering the simplicity of making the wheat gluten, I realised how much profit the manufacturers would be making. All you need is flour to knead into a dough, water to wash the dough and oil to fry the gluten. I must encourage you to make this on your own because it is absolutely easy, not to mention healthy as you are making it from your own kitchen. Moreover, it is quite an experience to make it for the first time as you will be amazed (just like me) on how the dough transforms into a rubbery texture (gluten) after washing it in running water.

This is the recipe for Wheat Dough or Mien Chin

Ingredients

• 500 grammes of flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• Water
• Oil for deep frying

Method

Place flour into a suitable bowl for kneading. Add salt. Gradually add water as you knead the flour into a dough and let it stand for 2 hours covered by a piece of moist cloth.

With the dough resting in a bowl, place bowl in kitchen sink and turn on the tap. Allow water from tap (medium flow) to run into the bowl and start kneading dough in the running water. Yes, keep kneading and washing the dough. The water will turn milky as the starch will be washed away but keep kneading. The dough will eventually shrink to about 20% its original size and it will feel rubbery. Keep kneading till the water becomes clear. Remove and drain.

Heat oil in wok. Pinch a piece of washed dough (it’s like rubber) about 2cm x 2cm and fry it till it puffs up and turns golden brown. Manage the heat from the stove so that the oil does not over heat. Dish up and place on kitchen napkins to absorb excess oil.

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Wheat Gluten

In Hong Kong, the movie industry has its 4 Heavenly Kings to describe the 4 most popular singers. For me, I have my 4 Heavenly Kings to describe my 4 must-eat hawker dishes in Kuching. Kueh Chap is one of the 4. The others being the Sarawak Laksa, Kolok Mee and Tomato Kuey Teow.

Kueh Chap, I believe, is hokkien for the word “Cake” and “Mixed”. The “cake” or kueh denotes the use of thicker than usual kuey teow (rice flour cake – which is like lasagna) whilst “mixed” or chap probably describes the use of a mixture of pork parts in the dish. In Penang, Singapore and Johor Bahru, I believe they use duck parts as well. In Kuching, it is almost exclusively pork.

The flat kuey teow-like cake is cut into square / rectangular pieces and are blanched before serving into a herbal soup mixed with an assortment of pork parts (I like calling them spare parts), hard boiled egg and tau pok (fried puffy bean curd). The spare parts may include belly pork, pork skin, pork ears, pork tongue, pork intestines, pork stomach and lean pork. These parts are cut up into small bite sizes and offers a great crunching and biting experience. I especially like the skin, ears and tongue. Er…actually, I like all the parts. Just don’t feel horrified by my eating habits, heh! heh!

The soup is herbal in nature and probably can be described as a different kind of bak kut teh with a slightly more salty flavour. I rarely waste any when I have a bowl of kueh chap. The ingredients (pork parts and kueh) are dipped into a sour based chilli sauce and this makes it really appetising.

My favourite stall in Kuching which sells Kueh Chap is the one at Sekama (near Foochow Road) which is run by a lady. The coffee shop where the stall is situated faces a traffic light junction and it is usually packed with customers. This is probably the best or most popular Kueh Chap stall in Kuching. Another stall which is not too bad is run by a young man within a coffee shop located along Jalan Keretapi (now it has a long sounding name) near the cross traffic-light junction of Jalan Green and Jalan Keretapi. If I am not mistaken, there is an Everise Supermarket next door. During my last trip, I ordered 8 packets to take away home to Kuala Lumpur. The kueh was packed uncooked so that I could blanch them at home prior to eating. The soup and the rest of the ingredients merely needs reheating.

My stomach is growling as I am typing this post. I can’t get them here in Kuala Lumpur (there used to be a lady who sold this in Setapak a couple of years back but no more). So, I shall have to wait till my next trip to Kuching this September! Kueh Chap, wait for me!

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Kueh Chap

This will be two omelette recipes in succession, the previous being fried oyster omelette. Lap cheong is cantonese for sausages. This is uniquely chinese and is usually available in chinese stores in western countries or at the market or dried produce stores in parts of Asia.

Lap cheong has a distinct sweet taste and the level of saltiness depends on the amount of salt put in by the manufacturer. There are many ways of eating this, fried, steamed or cooked with other dishes, which in this case, is used as the ingredient for an omelette. Lap cheong is, on a visual inspection, probably 70% fat and 30% meat content. Therefore, you don’t really need to use much oil when cooking it. As for storage, you can keep it in the fridge for a couple of months (which I have done). Definitely handy to use when you want to cook a meal in a jiffy.

This is the recipe for Lap Cheong Omelette

Ingredients

• 2 pieces of lap cheong (sliced thinly, just like salami)
• 2 large eggs (beaten)

Method

If you are using a wok, heat up 1 teaspoon of oil. Otherwise, it is preferred to use a non-stick frying pan.

Fry lap cheong for 30 seconds until aromatic. Pour beaten eggs over it and reduce to low heat to allow the underside of the eggs to cook.

Flip egg over once the upper part starts to cook. Increase heat and allow to fry for 30 seconds before serving. Garnish to your liking. There is no need to add seasoning as the lap cheong is full bodied in taste.

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Lap Cheong Omelette

Fried oyster omelette (called Oh Chien in Hokkien) is one of my favourite dishes at the hawkers in Malaysia. In Malaysia alone, there are a few types of fried oyster omelette. In Kuching and Pulau Pangkor, the omelette is crispy much like crackers whilst in Pontian, Melaka and Penang, it is slightly soft and sticky (owing to the use of potato starch).

Before you start going “ooh-aah, Pablo can cook!”, let me tell you that this is what I ate in Pontian a couple of months ago and “No”, I did not cook this. I might try cooking it one day if I can get my hands on fresh small-sized oysters. The other ingredients in this dish are pretty much standard and easy to find. I have eaten fried oyster omelette which has medium or slightly larger sized omelette but found them a tad too overpowering in the taste of the oyster. Besides, I think using larger sized oysters are a waste. Better have them fresh with a squeeze of lemon instead.

If at all you can find the ingredients, why not try this Fried Oyster Omelette recipe by Amy Beh?

Ingredients

• 30 fresh oysters (small ones)
• 110g sweet potato flour
• 250ml water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp chopped spring onions
• 1 tbsp chopped chives
• 4 tbsp oil

Ground ingredients (well combined)

• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 shallots
• 1 tbsp chilli paste
• 1/2 tbsp coriander powder (‘ketumbar’ powder)
• A dash of pepper

Method

Soak oysters in water.

Mix sweet potato flour, salt and water into a thin runny batter and leave aside.

Heat oil in a non-stick wok or pan. Scoop out two ladles of batter onto the wok. Give a quick stir and crack in the eggs one at a time. Stir quickly, then push cooked batter to the side of the wok.

Add 2 tbsp oil to the wok; add ground ingredients and saute well. Add in oysters. Cook for a minute and combine the egg and sweet potato flour batter together with the oysters.

Add pepper and sprinkle with chopped spring onions and chives. Give it a stir then dish out and serve with chilli garlic sauce. [source]

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Fried Oyster Omelette – Oh Chien

Loh Mee is literally translated as “Stewed / Braised Noodles”. Whilst it is not stewed as long as say, a meat dish, nevertheless the cooking time is longer for this type of noodle compared to other types. Oh, by the way, Loh Mee is in the hokkien dialect. There are two known types of stewed noodles here in Malaysia, the other being Lam Mee. The gravy is slightly different.

Our family recipe for Loh Mee is southern-styled, meaning from Pontian, Johor. It is quite similar to the one from Ulu Yam. Lam Mee has a slightly different taste ot the gravy compared to Loh Mee. The highlight of this dish for me is the use of black vinegar which gives this noodle a slightly sour, but appetising taste. We used to have this often during Chinese New Year.

Thick yellow noodles are used for this recipe. It is not as thick as udon or even hokkien mee but definitely thicker than wan ton noodles or even mee goreng noodles. Because it is thicker and has a “tougher” texture, it requires a longer time to cook it. Hence, it is stewed in the gravy for at least 5 minutes, covered.

This is our family recipe for Loh Mee

Ingredients

• 500 grammes of thick yellow noodles
• 5 pieces of pre-soaked chinese dried mushrooms or shiitake mushrooms (sliced)
• 50 grammes of pork tenderloin (sliced thinly)
• 2 large eggs
• Choy sum / Sawi / Chinese Mustard Leaves (amount up to you, cut into 6cm lengths)
• 5 bulbs shallots (sliced thinly)
• 1 litre warm water or chicken stock or water previously used to soak mushrooms
• Potato / Corn starch (mix 1 tablespoon of potato / corn flour with 100 ml water)
• 5 tablespoons cooking oil (palm oil preferred)

Marinade (for pork tenderloin)

• 2 teaspoons light soya sauce
• a couple of dashes of white pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon corn flour

Seasoning

• 1 to 2 tablespoon dark soya sauce
• 1 tablespoon light soya sauce
• Salt and white pepper powder to taste

Method

Marinade pork tenderloin for at least 30 minutes.

Heat oil in wok and fry shallots till brown. Remove shallots and set aside. Remove oil and place in a suitable container leaving about 1 tablespoon of oil behind.

In a heated wok, add mushrooms and stir fry for 1 minute. Add pork slices and continue to stir fry till pork turns colour (add some of the oil previously used to fry shallots if wok is drying up). Add 500 ml warm water and bring to boil.

Once water starts boiling, add noodles and seasoning. Stir well and add more water to ensure that the water covers the upper layer of noodles. Cover with lid and stew for 5 minutes on medium to high heat whilst stirring once a while to ensure even cooking. Add more water if drying up.

I usually chew the noodles to see if it is cooked which should be slightly soft by then. Add choy sum and stir it well. Next, break eggs over the noodles and stir it into the noodles, allowing it to break.

The noodles are to be served slightly wet, but not soaking in gravy. If it is too wet, add a little potato / corn starch to thicken the gravy.

Dish out and sprinkle fried shallots over the noodles. When serving on individual bowls, add black vinegar (to taste) to the noodles.

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Loh Mee