Nyonya Zhang, Nonya Chang, Kuih Chang or 娘惹 are meat dumplings usually made for Dragon Boat Festival. Today I'm posting a vegan recipe which uses hard/firm tofu and lotus root instead of meat and black fungus instead of mushrooms for dietary reasons. Nyonya Zhang are unique in flavour and look due to the use of blue butterfly pea flowers and candied winter melon.
INGREDIENTS
*Makes approx 10-12 depending on your bamboo leaf size
25 bamboo leaves
Reed/string for wrapping
200g five spice hard tofu
200g frozen peeled lotus root
1 spanish onion (or equivalent amount of eshallot)
2T oil
1T fried garlic
2T bean paste (fermented soy bean paste aka tau cu)
1/4t black pepper powder
1T coriander powder
12 pieces of black fungus
1/2kg glutinous rice (I use Lion brand)
200g yellow split mung beans
1t butterfly pea flower powder
4 pandan leaves
METHOD
Day 1
Wash the glutinous rice
Remove approx 2C of glutinous rice and soak in a large bowl with the butterfly pea flower
Soak the remaining rice in a separate large bowl
Wash the split mung beans removing any loose green hulls
If you bought a brand with dye, ensure you have washed/rinsed the split mung beans until the water runs clear and the mung beans stop "foaming"
Soak cleaned split mung beans in a large bowl overnight
Put the black fungus to soak overnight in a container
Prepare your string. I like to measure out 3 full arm lengths, cut, then fold twice. For the end which was previously the middle, I tie a knot, so there is a loop for me to use. I will the cut the loop on the other end, so I have 4 dangling strings. Repeat 3 times.
Day 2
Wash/soak bamboo leaves in warm/hot water in your sink
You can keep the bamboo leaves submerged by placing something heavy (like a bowl filled with water) on them
Cut the top half of the pandan leaf and keep for another recipe (I usually tie into a knot and freeze for nasi lemak). Cut the bottom (fragrant) part of the pandan leaf into 3 sections so you have your 12 pieces
Prepare filling ingredients by slicing the candied winter melon and dicing the tofu, peeled lotus root and the spanish onion
Drain water from black fungus and cut out any hard parts
In a large non stick saucepan, heat oil. Add the fried garlic, coriander powder and black pepper powder to the oil
Add the onion, then lotus root, then the tofu, frying and coating in the spices
Add the black fungus, bean paste and candied winter melon and fry until the candied winter melon coating has "melted" and everything is well combined
Slightly over-season with salt and soy sauce (a lot of salt flavour will be lost during the cooking process)
Place into a large bowl to cool
Drain mung beans, blue rice and white rice
Select two bamboo leaves and place overlapping each other. Bend to create a fold. Place a piece of pandan leaf along the bottom (the closer to the stem of the pandan plant, the more fragrance you should be able to smell)
Add spoonful of blue coloured glutinous rice, then add a layer of mung beans
Add a layer of the tofu mix ensuring 1 piece of black fungus has been included
Finish off with a layer of white rice and seal by folding in the outer edges, then folding the back down
Use your prepared string to tie the filled zhang so the filling does not release (loop around where your hand was holding, then tie off in a knot)
Arrange into pressure cooker and fill with water
Close the pressure cooker and set to manual (under pressure) for 30 minutes
When done, release pressure and drain. They can be served immediately or frozen. To reheat, you can defrost/microwave, boil or steam
Highly recommend eating with fresh cut chilli in soy sauce or a chilli sauce of your liking
PRODUCT SOURCES
Candied winter melon can be found in most asian grocery stores but may be difficult to locate. Before asking, you may find them in the "sugar" section next to rock sugar (not in the dried or sweets sections)
For yellow split mung beans, I prefer to buy Heng Fai brand which is Australian and all natural. There is no dye, but there is a bit more husk with the product
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