堿水粽 Kee Zhang/Alkaline Dumplings

 

小時候每逢端午節媽媽都會裹上好多的鹹肉粽和娘惹粽，但拜拜用的堿水粽卻總是向鄉裏的一些家庭主婦買的，堿水粽有股特別的堿水味，家裏的小孩都不愛吃，所以一般會沾了甜味的香蘭咖央，或焦糖咖央吃。

 

今年端午節我裹了好些肉粽和朋友們分享，還剩下一些糯米和粽葉，就裹了兩串的堿水粽，沾了楓糖漿也很香，真是久違的味道！

 

Every year during the dragon boat festival (端午節), mom will make a lot of Nyonya and meat dumplings for us. 

 

But for prayer purpose, she would order some Kee Zhang/Alkaline Dumplings (堿水粽）from some ladies in town. Kee Zhang is normally much smaller in size, only about 1/3 of the normal dumplings. 

 

The dumplings have a very unique flavor and texture after adding alkaline water/lye water, the color of rice changes and take on a yellow hue, the alkaline water also makes the rice turned firmer and finally the taste of Alkalinity, a very distinctive, slick and pleasant feeling in the mouth, it is hard to explain, but a unique experience.

 

I made Bak Zhang for Dragon Boat festival and was left with some glutinous rice and soaked bamboo leaves. I liked to have my Kee Zhang serve with Pandan Kaya or Caramel Kaya. 

 

Since I do not have Kaya ready at home, I served mine with Maple Syrup this time and it is really yummy!

 

 

 

 

材料:

15 張 粽葉

一些棉繩

300 克糯米

1.5 大勺的堿水/雪堿水

3 大勺食油 另加 1 大勺煮粽子用

 

 

Ingredients:

15 Bamboo leaves

Some cotton cooking twine 

300 g of glutinous rice

1.5 tbsp of lye water/Kan Sui/Potassium Carbonate

3 tbsp of oil  + 1 tbsp for cooking

 

 

 

 

 

1. 粽葉用溫水泡上一個小時，洗淨滴幹水後，把葉梗剪去。

Soaked bamboo leaves in warm water for an hour, clean and rinse well. Use a scissor to cut the stems. Drain and set aside.

 

2. 把糯米淘洗淨泡水至少三個小時，瀝幹後加入堿水/雪堿水。混勻靜置1分鍾後加入3 大勺的食油，拌勻。

Soaked glutinous rice for at least 3 hours, drained and add lye water/Kan Sui/Potassium Carbonate, mix well and let it rest for 15 minutes. Add 3 tbsp of oil and mix well.

 

3. 取一張粽葉，卷成雪糕筒狀，盛入兩大勺的糯米，輕輕壓壓。把上邊的粽葉往下覆蓋在雪糕筒口，用另一隻手把覆蓋的葉子左右兩邊往下折，剩下的粽葉對折，順著粽子的形狀圍好，握緊。

Take a bamboo leaf twist it to form a shape of a cone. Place 2 tbsp of rice and lightly press down. Bring the tail leaf down with the other hand to cover the cone, lightly fold both the sides of the leaf that are covering the cone to form a pyramid shape, twist the remaining leaf sideways along the shape. 

 

4.  這個時候粽子已經是金字塔形的了，取根麵線把粽子卷兩圈，打個活結，在整整型。把過長多餘的粽葉減去。

You should be able to hold the pyramid shape all in one hand now, loop the twine around dumpling and tie with a live knot, adjust the knot to make sure it is secured. Cut off the excess leaf and repeat the same steps for all the remaining ingredients.

 

5. 去一口大鍋，煮滾半鍋水，加入1大勺的食油，把粽子放到鍋裏，水必須要沒過粽子。大火煮30分鍾後轉中小火煮1.5個小時。熄火後讓粽子泡在水裏半個小時再取出滴幹水份。

Bring 1/2 pot of water to boil, add 1 tbsp of cooking oil. Place all the dumplings in, make sure you have enough water to submerge all dumplings. Boil the dumplings at medium high for 30 minutes, turn the heat to medium low and simmer for 1.5 hours more. Let the dumplings sit in the water for another 30 minutes after switching the stove off.

 

6. 澆上楓糖漿，很好吃哦！

Drain, serve cool with some Kaya, syrup or sugar!

 

 

歡迎到我的英文博客玩--

http://www.echoskitchen.com/2016/06/kee-zhangalkaline-dumplings.html