Bah-Tzang

Before you start

• Plan your attack over three days.

  Make the braise on day one. Wash and soak the rice, peanuts, and prep the leaves on day two. Assemble and boil the dumplings on day three.

• Secure your tying station.

  You need both hands free to wrap. Tie your 12 lengths of cotton string into a single loop at the top, and hang it from a sturdy cabinet handle or doorknob before you begin wrapping.

Ingredients

• dried green bamboo leaves30
• cotton kitchen twine12 piece
• round-grain glutinous rice3 cup
• raw peanuts with skin1/2 cup
• pork belly1 lb
• dried miniature shiitake mushrooms15 small
• dried shrimp2 tbsp
• crispy fried red shallots1/3 cup
• salted duck egg yolks6
• vegetable oil2 tbsp
• light soy sauce3 tbsp
• dark soy sauce2 tbsp
• Shaoxing wine2 tbsp
• rock sugar1 tbsp
• five-spice powder1/2 tsp
• white pepper1/2 tsp

Method

1. 01

   Sear the pork belly until the fat renders.

   Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over medium-high. Toss in the cubed pork belly and cook until well-browned, letting that crucial fat render out to build the foundation of your braise.

2. 02

   Fry the aromatics.

   Add the soaked dried shrimp and shiitake mushrooms to the hot pork fat. Stir-fry until highly fragrant, then pour in the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar, five-spice powder, and white pepper.

3. 03

   Simmer the braise and separate the liquid.

   Pour in 2 cups of the reserved mushroom soaking liquid to submerge the meat. Bring to a boil, then drop the heat and simmer for 45 minutes until the pork is tender. Strain the solids into a bowl and, crucially, save every drop of that rich, fatty braising liquid. Store both in the fridge overnight.

4. 04

   Coat the soaked rice in the braising fat.

   Drain the soaked glutinous rice and peanuts. In a large bowl, toss them with the chilled braising liquid and the crispy fried red shallots until every single grain takes on a pale brown hue and is coated in fat. Do not cook the rice—it needs to go into the leaf completely raw.

5. 05

   Form the bamboo leaf cone.

   Take two prepared bamboo leaves, smooth side up, and overlap them slightly head-to-tail. Fold them near the center to form a deep, tight funnel, folding the very bottom tip back slightly to ensure there is no hole for the rice to escape.

6. 06

   Layer the rice and fillings.

   Pack a small scoop of the seasoned rice and peanuts into the bottom of the cone. Add one piece of pork, a mushroom, half a salted egg yolk, and top with another scoop of rice. Press down gently but firmly so the filling is entirely encapsulated by the rice.

7. 07

   Fold and tie the dumpling tightly.

   Fold the top excess of the bamboo leaves down over the exposed rice like closing the lid of a box, wrapping the remaining tail around the side. While pinching the shape tightly in one hand, wrap your hanging kitchen twine around the center two to three times and tie a secure knot.

8. 08

   Submerge and boil for two hours.

   Drop the tied bundles into a massive stockpot of actively boiling water, ensuring they are completely submerged. Cover and boil continuously for 2 hours so the starches gelatinize and the fat melts into the rice. Turn off the heat and let them steep in the hot water for another 30 minutes before hanging them up to drain and cool.

Notes

• Serve it like they do in the South.

  Snip the twine, peel back the leaf, and serve immediately while hot, drizzled generously with thick soy paste and a heavy dusting of unsweetened roasted peanut powder.

• Freeze the leftovers.

  These freeze exceptionally well. Cool them completely at room temperature, leave them fully wrapped in their leaves, and freeze in a ziplock bag. Steam from frozen for 20 minutes to reheat.