Nonya Dumpling (娘惹粽子)

nonya dumpling

Making dumpling is never simple, but I will try to explain as clearly and as simple as it could so that anyone could try and successfully make their own dumpling at home.

Ingredients (1 kg portion make about 15 dumpling +-) suggest to make more to justify for the effort as there are many preparation steps.

1. 1 kg glutinous rice (糯米)
2. 1kg Lean pork (瘦肉)or pork collar (五花肉)
3. 100g Coriander seed （芫荽子) in Singapore you can get it cheaply at Albert Center market at Waterloo Street
4. 25 Shallots
5. 100g dry shrimp
6. 150g Sugared Winter Mellon (糖冬瓜）
7. 150g Chestnut （栗子）
8. 5 tablespoon Sugar
9. 1 cup Cooking oil
10. 100g Dry mushroom
11. 1/2 teaspoon white pepper optional
12. 1 teaspoon five spice powder optional
13. 5 table spoon Light soya sauce
14. Salt

It might be too much work to be done all in a single day.  Those steps that can be done days ahead are indicated.

Method part 1 (prepare coriander seed) – can be done days before

1. Rinse away dirt, stalks etc in coriander seed. Sun dry it. (May take more than 1 day). You may skip this as this is more for hygiene purpose.
2. Heat up a wok or frying pan and in low heat, toss the seed without burning them. The purpose is to toast the seed to bring out the fragrant. You should be able to smell the nice fragrant when it is ready. This may take 15-30 mins.
3. Cool it and using a electric grinder, grind it to a fine powder. (You may use mortar and pestle to grind).
4. Keep in air tight container. Set aside for part 6.

Method part 2 (prepare chestnut) – can be done 1 or 2 days before

1. In a pot, bring water to boil and put in dried chestnut. Off heat and soak overnight or 4-5 hours. Next day, using paring knife or any small knife remove the red skin in between the grooves.
2. In a pot with water just enough to cover the chestnut, add in 10 table spoon sugar. Bring to boil and simmer low heat with little water till almost dry, watch out not to burnt it.
3. The chestnut should be soft.
4. Put aside for part 5. If to be kept overnight, put into fridge.

Method part 3 (prepare shallot oil) – can be done the day before, and be done before part 4 onwards.

1. Peel and slice shallots. In a pan or wok, heated with 1 cup cooking oil, fry the shallots till golden. Separate the shallots and oil and standby both. Let’s call this shallot oil.

Method part 4a (prepare rice) – done the night before

1. The night before, rinse the rice.
2. Soak with water and 1/2 table spoon salt. Soak overnight. Was told that this will prevent bloated feeling after eating (涨肚子).

Method part 4b (prepare rice)

1. Drain off water in the rice the next morning by using a bamboo sieve or stainless steel wire sieve.
2. When water is drained off, put into a big bowl or container, add in 1 teaspoon salt and 10 tablespoon shallot oil and mixed throughly and set aside for part 7.

Method part 5 (cutting of ingredients for filling)

1. Cut the pork into huge chucks. In a pot with boiling water, boil the pork for 3-5 mins to abt medium to medium well. This makes dicing easier.
2. Dice the pork into small cubes of 1/2 cm , standby.
3. Rinsed dried shrimp, and soak in little water for 3 hours. Drained shrimp and chop the shrimp into small bits. 2-3 mm bits. Standby.
4. Rinsed dried mushroom, and soak in little water for 3 hours. Drained and cut the mushroom into small bits. 5 mm bits. Standby.
5. Dice the sugared winter mellon into small bits 2-3 mm.
6. Dice the cooked chestnut into small bits 2-3 mm.

Method part 6 (cooking the filling)

1. Heat up wok. Without oil, put in the diced dry shrimps and stir until nice fragrant of the shrimp can be smelled. Add in half cup shallot oil and continue frying.
2. Add in diced pork, and fry till pork is cooked.
3. Add in diced mushroom, chestnut, sugared winter melon and fried shallots. Sprinkle in pepper, 5 spice powder, coriander powder, light soya sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt.
4. Keep stirring until all ingredient are well mixed, cooked, and dry (there should not be any wetness) and nice fragrant can be smelled.
5. Set aside for part 7.

Method part 7 (wrapping and boiling)

1. Wrapping instruction can be found in another post (http://werynice.com/home/?p=309). Each dumpling should have abt 1-2 tablespoon filling.
2. In a big pot, fill with water and 1 teaspoon salt, a bunch of pandan leaves. Bring to boil.
3. Put in the dumpling and make sure they are fully submerged. Boil the dumping for 3 hours, and checking constantly if the water level has reduced and top up with boiling water.