How to Wrap a Glutinous Rice Cake With Bamboo Leaves
Bak Chang, or Chinese rice cakes, are popular food items in China and Chinese culture, and are made in homes and commonly served in street markets and small restaurants. While a basic rice and pork filling is the most common in China, there are numerous fillings that can be used, and marinated meats and vegetables can make interesting appetizers or a light lunch. While preparation is not particularly difficult, it can be time consuming, so make sure you set aside enough time if making glutinous rice cake for an event or special dinner. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Large stockpot
- Bamboo leaves
- Clean kitchen towel or disposable paper towels
- Rice cake mixture
- Filling (optional)
- String or raffia
- Cooling rack (if necessary)
Instructions
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Bring a large stockpot of water to the boil over high heat. Add the bamboo leaves and turn the heat off. Cover the bamboo leaves and allow them to soak for 12 hours or overnight.
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2
Remove the bamboo leaves from the stockpot and pat them dry on both sides with a clean kitchen towel or disposable paper towels. Allow the bamboo leaves to rest for 15 minutes.
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3
Place two bamboo leaves on a flat surface, with one slightly overlapping the other and fold the bamboo leaves in a circular motion into a conical shape.
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4
Put 1 tbsp. of the rice cake mixture into the base of the bamboo leaf wrapping. Add 1 tbsp. of any filling that you want to include in the rice cake.
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5
Cover the filling with another tablespoon of rice and fold the bamboo leaves into a triangle shape. Tie the middle of the wrapping with string or raffia.
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6
Add the rice cake to a stockpot of boiling salted water for 1 1/2 hours, adding water to replace what is boiled away as necessary.
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7
Hang the rice cakes to dry or place them on a cooling rack overnight or until dry.
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Tips & Warnings
Common additions to rice cake include pork, pork belly, scallops or fish, chicken and mushrooms. If you do add other ingredients, make sure they don't contain a lot of water, which can make the final product soggy.
Use heavy tongs and protective gloves when removing the rice cakes from the boiling water, as they can drip and easily burn you.
Resources
- Photo Credit basmati rice image by Carpenter from Fotolia.com
