You know you are loved, when friend’s mum sends bachangs to you every year
Eating bachang (Chinese glutinous rice dumpling) is an annual affair, though you can easily find it at local wet market and night market in KL throughout the year. Be careful when you buy bachang. If it is not handled properly during cooking and storage phase, it will be contaminated and might cause food poisoning.
There are many types of bachang, such as nyonya (eaten with kaya paste), shrimp belacan, etc. I like the standard fare, filled with pork filling. This savoury type, I believe, requires the most work.
Thailand also has their own version of bachang. Sorry D, but my vote goes to Malaysia’s bachang. Aroy gwa (more delicious).
I find that Thailand’s bachang has a strange mix of ingredients, such as ginkgo, chinese red dates and chinese sausage. It’s like they try to stuff as much ingredients as possible into the small-size-dumpling. Hello, less is more, you know?
Also, there is something ‘off’ about the way they prepare the egg yolk and chinese sausage. It feels ‘plasticky‘. For durian-eater, imagine Malaysia and Thai durian. Malaysia’s durian is more fleshy, and you can taste durian. But the latter has got a strange ’empty’ taste .. you don’t taste the durian and it’s like you are biting into an empty piece of durian. Err … do you get my analogy?
In my humble opinion, the best bachang in the world is always homemade. For me, the best-bachang-in-the-world award goes to non-others than Quin’s mum. She makes it every year close to the Dumpling festival. And everytime she does that, without fail, she will ask her daughter to send some bachangs my way. This is almost a yearly ritual as far as I remember. And she always gives me enough to be shared with my family. I had two bachangs for lunch today, and yes, it can be eaten as proper-meal.
Auntie’s bachang is filled with ingredients that you don’t find in those commercial bachangs, such as Chinese oyster. The glutinous rice also has got its homey taste that I like.
Thank you so much auntie for having me in mind. Please allow me to give you a treat soon, okay?
Undressing the bachang step-by-step:
I found this blog, which has a detailed step-by-step bachang recipe. Do check it out if your interest is piqued, and would like to make it yourself. Good luck, and remember to send some my way pleasssseeee. Hmm … perhaps I should be Auntie’s apprentice and ask her to be my sifu (master).
