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CNA
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
10 places to get your rice dumpling fix this year
There is so much to love about rice dumplings: The excitement of unwrapping the fragrant bamboo leaf package, that first bite of sticky glutinous rice, and the thrill of getting to the hearty filling with all those familiar and/or over-the-top ingredients. Now that the Dragon Boat Festival is near, there's a whole world of rice dumpling, plump with all sorts of fillings designed to keep drawing you in while ignoring your burgeoning waistline — it's a once-a-year indulgence, we tell ourselves as we take yet another bite. Amidst the glut of offerings, we picked out some that we think are worth a gander. 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 (S$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 filings, 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 (S$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. LI BAI Kung Pao Chicken and Morel Mushroom Rice Dumpling (S$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. MADAME FAN American Ginseng, Black Beans and Wolfberry (S$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. MAN FU YUAN Korean food fans will appreciate Man Fu Yuan's Kimchi with Kurobuta Cured Meat and Mushroom (S$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). PEACH BLOSSOMS Maximalists will appreciate Peach Blossom 's Traditional Abalone, Preserved Vegetables and Pork Belly Rice Dumpling (S$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. 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 like a stretch, 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 (S$72.80), which includes four other flavours like Abalone with Salted Pork Belly Brown Rice Dumpling and Osmanthus Gula Melaka Red Bean Paste. SHANG PALACE Shang Palace's elegant riff on classic Teochew-style dumpling pairs Red Fermented Bean Curd Pork Belly with Peanut Rice (S$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 (S$32.90), shaped like a golden pillow and rich with roasted duck, pork belly, black mushrooms and mung bean. WAN HAO 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 (S$25). According to the restaurant, 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 and poached for several hours to lock in all those robust flavours. YI BY JEREME LEUNG A returning favourite, Yi by Jereme Leung's extravagant Steamed Abalone & Eight Treasure Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Salted Egg Yolk (S$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 (S$22) featuring a rich, Hokkien-style filling.
AsiaOne
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
Traditional bak zhang to reach for this Dragon Boat Festival, Lifestyle News
Bak chang season is upon us - it falls on May 31 this year - and if you're in the old-is-gold camp, you'll want to eschew new-fangled flavours for the reliable classics. Pork, mushrooms, chestnuts, and maybe some abalone thrown in for auspicious measure are all we need in a good bak zhang. If you agree, here's where you can get traditional zhang that'll sate those annual cravings. Li Bai at Sheraton Towers We can see our Chinese mothers nod in approval at Li Bai's Traditional Rice Dumpling (from $58). Packed with five-spiced pork belly, salted egg yolk, roasted duck, mushrooms, chestnuts, and dried scallops, this thicc beauty is steadfastly traditional and just doesn't try so hard. Joo Chiat Kim Choo Generations of Singaporeans have grown up on Joo Chiat Kim Choo's Nyonya Rice Dumplings ($8.30), the same ones that made this family-owned brand a household name. In each parcel is the classic mix of braised pork and candied winter melon stewed in a "secret spice blend" and encased in sticky glutinous rice. Most Nyonyas would baulk at the idea of an all-white kueh zhang, and they'll definitely cry, "guuuss-mangat" when they hear that Kim Choo charges more for Blue Pea Nyonya Rice Dumplings (someone's gotta dye that rice, right?). You'll pay $14.80 for the extra effort, thank you very much. Wah Lok at Carlton Hotel If you're traditional but a bit bougie, try Wah Lok's Dried Oyster and Conpoy Dumpling ($28.80, 600g). Loaded with dried oysters, premium dried scallops, pork, mushrooms, and salted egg, this umami-rich dumpling is giving Cantonese congee vibes. Peach Blossoms If you're towkay bougie, you're gonna need ingot-shaped abalone in your rice dumplings. Check out Peach Blossoms' Traditional Abalone, Preserved Vegetables and Pork Belly Dumpling ($38.80, 500g). It's so extravagant, it'll feed two people easily. Man Fu Yuan No surprises lurk in Man Fu Yuan's Traditional Hokkien-Style Premium Rice Dumpling ($22.80). Within its steamed bamboo leaves is that classic combination of pork belly, chestnuts, mushrooms, dried shrimp, and salted egg yolk. Hai Tien Lo at Pan Pacific Singapore View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hai Tien Lo (@haitienlo) Hai Tien Lo's Hokkien Rice Dumpling with Pork and Salted Egg Yolk ($18) also keeps things simple and timeless. Think five-spice pork belly, salted egg, green beans, and perfectly sticky rice. Grandma would approve. [[nid:688704]] This article was first published in Wonderwall .sg .
