Nyonya Bak Chang Recipe (Peranakan Rice Dumplings) | Easy Pressure Cooker Method

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This Nyonya Bak Chang recipe shows you how to make traditional Peranakan Rice Dumplings using a Pressure Cooker – saving hours of cooking time while keeping all the authentic flavours intact. Filled with savoury meat, mushrooms, sweet candied winter melon and wrapped with fragrant glutinous rice (including natural blue pea rice), these dumplings are perfect for festive occasions or anytime you crave a classic.

In my following video, I’ll show you step-by-step how to prepare the ingredients, cook the flavorful filling, wrap the dumplings, and cook them perfectly using a pressure cooker in just 45 minutes.

Perfect for beginners and anyone looking to save time without sacrificing traditional taste.

Key Highlights:

  • Pressure cooker method (faster cooking)
  • Blue pea flower rice for natural colour
  • Juicy, flavorful Nyonya-style filling
  • Beginner-friendly wrapping tips

Click below image to watch my step-by-step video and you can also print the full recipe in the recipe section.

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/7Nz92YHF9CY

https://youtu.be/7Nz92YHF9CY
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Nyonya Bak Chang (Peranakan Rice Dumplings)

Easy Pressure Cooker Method
Course Breakfast, Snacks
Cuisine Peranakan
Keyword Blue pea, Nyonya Bak Chang, Pressure Cooker
Servings 24 Dumplings
Author Shiokman Eddie

Equipment

  • 1 Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

  • 60 – 70 Bamboo leaves and strings
  • 10 Pandan leaves
  • 600 g glutinous rice
  • 300 g glutinous rice blue colour
  • 8 g dried blue pea flowers
  • 200 ml water
  • 8 shallots finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic finely chopped

For white glutinous rice:

  • 1 Tbsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp concentrated chicken stock

For blue glutinous rice:

  • ½ Tbsp white pepper
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ Tbsp concentrated chicken stock

Filling:

  • 500 g big onions diced or shallots
  • 4 Tbsp chopped garlic
  • 700 g belly pork or chicken minced or finely diced
  • 12 dried shiitake mushrooms soaked in hot water
  • 1 cup chopped spring onions and parsley optional
  • 80 g candied winter melon diced

Dry Ingredients:

  • 70 g ground coriander
  • 15 g five spice powder
  • 8 g ground nutmeg
  • 15 g ground pepper

Wet Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp concentrated chicken stock

Note:

  • If using freshly grounded spices adjust the amount as taste will be stronger. You could use spices like ground cloves and cinnamon.
  • Fillings can be made in advance and refrigerated.
  • To get a more fragrant filling pork lard may be used.
  • If you prefer the filling to be sweeter add some rock sugar.
  • Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference. Seasoning has to be strong as it will be diluted through the boiling process.

Instructions

  • Boil bamboo leaves and strings for about 30 mins.
  • Remove the strings and soak the leaves overnight.
  • Rinse the strings and leaves before using.
  • Wash and soak dry shiitake mushrooms in hot water and set aside.
  • Remove stems from soaked mushrooms and cut into small cubes. Set aside.

Rice:

  • Soak 600 g glutinous rice overnight.
  • Wash and boil dried blue pea flowers until the water turns dark blue.
  • Soak 300 g glutinous rice with the blue pea water.
  • Add water to cover the rice completely and leave overnight.
  • Drain both white and blue rice with a sieve and set aside.
  • Briefly stir fry finely chopped onions and garlic. Remove ⅓ for later use.
  • Add the soaked white glutinous rice into the pan and stir fry. Add white pepper, salt and concentrated chicken stock and continue stirring. Remove and set aside.
  • Do the same for the blue glutinous rice with the remaining ⅓ of the onion garlic mix. Stir fry briefly.

Dry Ingredients

  • Pan fry dry ingredients for about 2 minutes.

Wet Ingredients

  • Mix wet ingredients well in a bowl.

Filling:

  • Heat pan and add vegetable oil. Fry diced onions until translucent.
  • Add chopped garlic and stir well.
  • Add minced pork or chicken and continue to fry.
  • Add mushroom water from soaked shiitake mushrooms.
  • Add dry ingredients and mix well.
  • Add diced shiitake mushrooms (that were soaked in hot water).
  • Add chopped spring onions and parsley.
  • Add wet ingredients and fry till meat is cooked.
  • Finally add diced candied winter melon and mix well.
  • Taste and add additional spices and mushroom water, if required. Set aside to cool.

Assembly:

  • Take 2 bamboo leaves and wipe dry with a cloth.
  • Fold into a cone shape and fill the rice, filling and pandan leaf.
  • Compress it tightly into the bamboo leaves and fold into a pyramid shape.
  • Tie the bundle with the bamboo string very tightly.

Cooking Stage

  • Put the dumplings in a pressure cooker pot of boiling water and cover and lock into place. Make sure that the water level is above the dumplings.
  • Cook in the pressure cooker for about 45 minutes.
  • Slowly release the pressure before unlocking the cover
  • Take out one dumpling to test for doneness.
  • Remove from the pot and hang to drip dry or place on a wire rack to dry before serving.

Notes

Recipe Notes
Tips:
  1. It is good to prepare the fillings in advance and refrigerate them. Preparation work should preferably start 1 to 2 days before the actual wrapping and boiling of the dumplings. This will ensure that you do not get tired out from the dumpling making session. It will also give you time to practise and make sure that the dumplings are tightly and securely wrapped to prevent leakage.
  2. If you are new to making dumplings, start with wrapping small ones first. As you practise more, you could progress to making bigger dumplings.
  3. You actually need about 50 leaves. But I suggest to stand by extra leaves (about 10 – 20 pcs) as some may have to be discarded if there are holes or defects. You may need extra leaves for practice.
  4. If you run out of leaves, you could try steaming some in ramekins or wrap some in banana leaves.

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