It's that time again, when people start to make rice dumplings for consumption. Mom, of course, had to make some even though the process is laborious. It involves a lot of work ..... from buying and preparing the filling, soaking and flavouring the glutinous rice, cleaning the leaves, getting ready the string, wrapping the dumplings meticulously, and finally steaming them.
A lot of ingredients go into the filling itself ... and for Mom's recipe .... she needed lots of deep-fried garlic and shallots, roasted and ground coriander, pork cubes, mushroom dices, chestnuts, yam paste .... and so on. Hence, preparation always begins a day or two before.
The glutinous rice, the filling, the cleaned leaves .... and the wrapped dumplings ...
The cooked dumplings .... and ... on my plate ...
Mom's rice dumpling uncovered ....
A lot of folks have retired from making dumplings .... because it's simply just too difficult and back-breaking. But Mom says that as long as she still can, she will continue this tradition, as only she knows how to make dumplings the way she likes it.
Has your mom taught you so you can keep the tradition alive?!
ReplyDeleteI know the steps theoretically. But to wrap a dumpling takes a lot of practice. Mom and her siblings started out practising wrapping rice grains. Then only do they graduate to wrapping dumplings. Me? Hmn ..... think I'll pass. :P
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