CHAI KUIH [STEAMED YAM BEAN DUMPLINGS]

Irresistible traditional Steamed Vegetable Dumplings using a unique translucent wrapper to wrap the simply delicious fried jicama.  The wrapper is made from wheat starch and tapioca flour, is chewy when steamed.  Many may be a little cautious about the fat content in this kuih yet can't resist having a bite if the dainty kuih.

My first posting on this kuih was in 2014 [Steamed Chai Kuih].  It is a lovely recipe where the wrapper stays soft and chewy when cooled and even after a day.  The wrapper recipe here gives the same results.  The recipe portion is smaller than the first [makes about 25 pieces].  Perhaps, for beginners, you can choose to follow this recipe.  

The filling can be prepared a day earlier. 

Yambean Filling-Ingredients and Preparation

250 gm yambean/sengkuang - after skinned and shredded
50-100 gm carrot - peeled and shredded
2 tbsp dried prawns - rinsed and chopped coarsely

1/2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp oil

100 gm minced meat [optional] - I omit
Seasoning

1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar [I omit]
2 tbsp water [if necessary]

1. Heat up oil, saute chopped garlic until fragrant. Add in dried prawns . Stir fry then add in shredded vegetables. Stir to mix well. 
2. Add seasoning and water [if necessary]. Continue to stir fry until vegetables are softened [cover with lid] over medium low heat and aromatic.
3. Dish up to cool. This filling can be prepared in advance and refrigerate until required.

Ingredients for Dumpling Skin

100 gm wheat starch [tang mien fun] + 2 tbsp wheat starch

100 gm tapioca flour

1/2 tsp salt

400 ml boiling water

3-4 tbsp cooking oil 

1. Combine wheat flour, tapioca flour and salt in a mixing bowl.  Pour in boiling water and stir immediately to mix well.  Cover and leave aside for 10 minutes.
2. Add in oil and knead into a smooth dough [this takes some time].  Cover and rest for 5 minutes.
3. Divide dough into smaller portions. Flatten with a roller into a thin dough, cut into rounds with a 4-5 inch round cutter or lid of a container.  Flatten each piece before wrapping up the filling.  Seal well.  You can wrap up dough in rounds, oval or half moon shapes with pleats according to your preference. Please refer here for illustration on how to wrap the kuih.
4. Arrange dumplings onto a greased steaming tray, steam for 7-8 minutes on high heat.  I steamed for 10-15 minutes using a 2 tier aluminium steamer.
5. Remove, brush with fried garlic oil while still hot.  Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

NYONYA SAVOURY SWEET RICE DUMPLINGS [PUAH KIAM TI CHANG]

Heard of this rice dumpling? Have you tried eating or making it?  I think most rice dumpling lover know about this Nyonya style 'chang'.

Before browsing through the recipe, I always thought that this kind of chang is more difficult to make than the Kiam Bak Chang. The rice has to be steamed first and moreover the some rice has to be coloured. Anyway, I took the time to slowly run through the ingredients and the steps. Looks easy so long as I can prepare the fillings earlier and the wrapping probably the next day.
So these are the ‘fruits’ of my 'labour'…..They not only looks nice but tasted good.  I'm very happy with the result.  My sis gave a thumbs up after trying one. 

The rice is soft, chewy and taste good with the aromatic savoury sweet filling. Making them small looks dainty but you can always increase the rice portion to make bigger dumplings and also to finish off the fillings.   My hubby says it is not necessary cos’ it is eaten as a snack rather than for a meal.  Perhaps, next time, I will double the rice portion so that there won’t be leftover filling and more rice to cover the filling.   I had leftovers - used up in the next post].

Recipe Source for my selected Cookbook for February 2016 – Nyonya Flavours [modified]

Ingredients
[makes 20]
40 dried bamboo leaves – soaked until soft and wiped dry
Hemp strings
2-3 blades of pandan leaves – washed and cut into 3 cm lengths
Ingredients for Filling
300 gm pork belly – skin removed and chopped coarsely
150 gm candied winter melon [tungkwa] – chopped
100 gm ground roasted peanuts
1 tbsp peppercorns
50 gm [8 cloves] garlic
20 gm [3] cekur ginger roots
4 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp salt to taste
2 tbsp sugar to taste
2 tbsp cooking oil

1. Blend peppercorns, garlic and cekur roots in a processor until fine and mix in the coriander powder.
2. Heat oil in a non-stick pan, sauté ground spice ingredients until aromatic. Add in pork and stir fry until well mixed.
3. Add in sugar and salt and a dash of water. Stir to combine and cook until meat is cook and tender. 
4. Add in the candied winter melon and continue to fry for a few seconds. Off heat and leave fillings to cool before adding in the ground peanuts. Set aside until required or refrigerate.
5. Note – this portion of filling is enough for 750 gm of rice. If using more rice, just increase the other rice ingredients proportionately.
   
   
   
   

Ingredients for Rice
500 gm glutinous rice
2 tbsp indigo blue colouring [extracted from the butterfly pea flower/bunga telang]*
* blend 30 blue pea flowers with some water in a blender, strain to obtain the blue coloured water enough to soak the rice
250 ml thick coconut milk mixed with 1 tsp salt

1. Wash glutinous rice until the water runs clear. Remove 160 gm of the rice to a separate bowl and soak it with the blue pea water enough to cover the rice. Mix well.
2. Soak both rice overnight in the water and drain before use.
3. Bring water to boil and steam the plain and blue glutinous rice separately for 1 hour or until rice is cooked and soft. I steamed them for 1 ½ hours.
4. Stir in 1/3 of the coconut milk to the blue rice and 2/3 of coconut milk to the plain rice. Continue to steam for a further 10 minutes. Fluff up before use.
   
   
   

To Wrap the Rice Dumplings

1. Overlap 2 bamboo leaves together and fold into a cone. 
2. Fill cone with 1 heaped tablespoon of plain glutinous rice and 1 tsp of the blue glutinous rice. 
3. Top rice with 1 tablespoon of the savoury sweet filling and cover with another tablespoon of plain glutinous rice. Top with a piece of pandan leave.
4. Fold the loose end of the bamboo leaves over the rice and wrap dumpling into a pyramid shape. Secure with a hemp string.
5. Repeat the process until you have a dozen dumplings in a bunch or until all the ingredients are used up.
6. Steam dumplings over boiling water for 30 minutes. Remove to cool.

I'm submitting this post to Cookbook Countdown 2 hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking [Makan2] Foray

I'm submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up event hosted by Sweet Home-Chefs with her February 2016 theme - Chrysanthemum and edible flowers organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Mui Mui of my little favourite DIY,

COCONUT WHOLEMEAL PURPLE SWEET POTATO BAOS

This bao skin is made with sweet potato and the ratio of pau flour to wholemeal flour is 50:50. Can be considered a healthy bao skin but the bao surface looks rough. This is because the wholemeal flour portion in the dough .

However, the bao skin is soft, moist and chewy. 

Coconut Filling – recipe adapted from Nyonya Flavours

Ingredients for Filling

90 gm palm sugar [Gula Melaka]

1 tbsp sugar

50 ml water

1 pandan leaf – knotted

200 gm grated white coconut

1 tsp cornflour

1. Bring to boil, palm sugar, sugar, water and pandan leaf until sugar dissolves and fragrant. Strain and discard the pandan leaf.
2. Transfer syrup to a non-stick pan, add in coconut and cornflour. Stir fry to mix for a few minutes until filling is thick but still moist. Dish out in a bowl, set aside.
   
   
   

Ingredients from Purple Sweet Potato Wholemeal Baos

[Total Dough weight 850 gm - makes 16 baos]

200 gm pau flour

200 gm wholemeal flour

50 gm sugar

1 tsp yeast

½ tsp salt

200 gm steamed purple sweet potato puree

140 ml water [depending on the puree]

30 gm corn oil or shortening

1. Knead all the ingredients for pau skin [except shortening] until soft. Add in shortening and continue to knead until soft and pliable. The dough will look slightly rough because of the wholemeal flour.
2. Shape into a ball, dust with some plain flour, cover to rest for 30 minutes or until double in size.
3. Punch down and divide dough into 2 equal portions. Shape into round and divide each portion into 8 equal portions. Roll into a ball, then flatten each one into a flat disc.
4. Wrap filling with dough and seal the edges well. Place on paper casing on a steaming tray. Create design with the use of a pincer or just make round paus.
5. Leave to proof for 40 minutes or double in size, steam over high heat for 10-12 minutes.
6. Remove to serve immediately or cool on wire rack.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

I am submitting this post to
Little Thumbs Up Event - October 2015 Theme - Coconut organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by Jess of Bakericious

I am also submitting this post to Cook Your Books Event#27 - October 2015 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours