Kimchi Kurobuta Pork, Teochew Beef Rice Dumplings & Other Bak Chang To Buy This Year

Shang Palace

Shang Palace’s elegant riff on classic Teochew-style dumpling pairs Red Fermented Bean Curd Pork Belly with Peanut Rice ($29.20). The result is lush and earthy, with a distinct savoury depth from the fermented bean curd. Those who prefer the classics can revisit Shang Palace’s Signature Barbecued Pork Rice Dumpling with Yunnan Ham and Conpoy ($32.90), shaped like a golden pillow and rich with roasted duck, pork belly, black mushrooms and mung bean

Man Fu Yuan 

Korean food fans will appreciate Man Fu Yuan’s Kimchi with Kurobuta Cured Meat and Mushroom ($23.80) dumpling, which gives us flashes of tteokbokki in dumpling form. If you happen to be a vegetarian that misses the Nonya version, check out the restaurant’s Nonya-style Dumpling with Plant-based Meat ($22.80)

Li Bai

Kung Pao Chicken and Morel Mushroom Rice Dumpling ($38) sounds like a great idea. It’s among the new offerings at Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant, along with a Teochew Beef Rice Dumpling ($48) and Lotus Paste Kansui Rice Dumpling ($38 for two). While the Kung Pao chicken rice dumpling is inspired by its namesake dish, it gets a jolt of umami from conpoy and dried shrimp. Cashew nuts and couscous impart a nice textural contrast.

Paradise Group 

Expect the heady aroma of Paradise Group’s Black Truffle Honey BBQ Iberico Rice Dumpling to fill the room as soon as you begin unwrapping it. Although the pairing sounds over the top, the sweetness of the honey Iberico pork plays nicely against the musky black truffle. The popular restaurant chain also introduced a Braised Pork with Conpoy and Mushroom Rice Dumpling that’s only available as part of a gift set ($72.80), which includes four other flavours like Abalone with Salted Pork Belly Brown Rice Dumpling and Osmanthus Gula Melaka Red Bean Paste.

Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant

It was only a matter of time before someone translated our newfound love for Sichuan green peppercorns to a rice dumpling. Cantonese restaurant Wan Hao has done it with its new Pork Trotter and Peanut with Sichuan Green Peppercorn ($25). The pork trotters are braised for about 90 minutes before it is marinated in the green peppercorn sauce to imbue it with numbing kick. The rice parcels are then stuffed with this filling and poached for several hours to lock in all those robust flavours.

Feng Shui Inn

For a decidedly unique option, check out Feng Shui Inn’s Yunnan Wild Mushroom and Fish Maw Dumpling that comes as part of a six-piece dumpling gift set ($128). Wild porcini and sarcodon imbricatus, said to be sourced from the mountains in Yunnan, are paired with fish maw and other premium ingredients like abalone, scallops and salted meat. The other rice dumplings in the set are Dried Seafood Steamed Dumplings and Trio Date Sweet Dumplings that feature honey dates, southern jujubes and red dates bound with red bean paste and stuffed within quinoa and pearl glutinous rice.

Hai Tien Lo

The richness of glutinous rice tends to mute the flavours of its stuffing, so it stands to reason that stronger flavours make for tastier rice dumplings. In that vein, Hai Tien Lo’s Salted Fish and Preserved Meat Rice Dumpling ($24) sounds like it’ll be a flavour-packed option enriched with Spanish pork and peanuts for a touch of nutty sweetness. If you like pulut hitam, consider the Black Glutinous Nonya Rice Dumpling (S$22) that harbours the classic flavours of Nonya dumpling against the earthiness of black glutinous rice.

Madame Fan 

American Ginseng, Black Beans and Wolfberry ($18) sound like a wholesome combination, especially if you’re a vegetarian looking to enjoy a plant-based rice dumpling. This is one of a few unique flavours from modern Cantonese restaurant Madame Fan, which also has a Singapore-style Chilli Crab Rice Dumpling ($22) if you prefer seafood over meat in your rice dumpling.

Peach Blossoms 

Maximalists will appreciate Peach Blossom’s Traditional Abalone, Preserved Vegetables and Pork Belly Rice Dumpling ($38.80), a hefty 500g parcel that’ll make a satisfying meal for two. To feed up to four, try the Premium X.O. Cantonese Rice Dumpling filled with abalone, Hong Kong dried oyster, smoked duck, roasted pork, Kurobuta pork belly and other delicious things.

Yi by Jereme Leung

A returning favourite, Yi by Jereme Leung’s extravagant Steamed Abalone & Eight Treasure Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Salted Egg Yolk ($49) channels the spirit of royal banquets with a filling of 12-head abalone, sakura shrimp, Jinhua ham, mung beans, lotus seeds, chestnut, and dried scallop. For something less lavish, try Yi’s new Braised Pork Belly & Yam Glutinous Rice Dumpling ($22) featuring a rich, Hokkien-style filling. 

Source: CNA/my

​​The original version of this story first appeared in CNA Lifestyle. 

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