Nyonya Dumplings

Ingredients

# 400g glutinous rice, washed and soaked overnight
# 40g glutinous rice, washed and soaked overnight in water with a little blue food colouring and a squeeze of lime juice added
# Some dried bamboo leaves and hempstring, soaked

Seasoning (A)
# 2 tsp salt
# 1 tsp Chinese five spice powder

Filling
# 6 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and diced
# 100g candied winter melon, (toong kwa tong), diced
# 2 tbsp dried radish (choy poh), minced
# 1 tbsp oil
# 1 tbsp sesame oil
# 1 tsp chopped garlic
# 1 tsp chopped shallot
# 1 tsp preserved soy bean paste (tau cheong)
# 2 tbsp coriander powder, add 3 tbsp water and mix into a paste

Seasoning (B)
# 1½ tsp pepper
# 50g sugar
# 1½ tsp salt

Method
Drain glutinous rice separately. Add seasoning (A) to the uncoloured rice and leave aside.

Heat oil and sesame oil in a nonstick saucepan. Sauté garlic, shallot and dried radish until fragrant. Add soy bean paste and coriander paste. Fry until aromatic.

Add mushrooms and candied winter melon. Stir-fry well then mix in seasoning. Fry until well combined. Dish out.

Place two bamboo leaves together, fold into a cone then add 1 tsp of coloured glutinous rice. Top with 2 tbsp of uncoloured rice. Add 1 tbsp of filling followed by a heaped tablespoon of uncoloured rice.

Fold down the bamboo leaves to enclose the rice and fold into a neat pyramid. Secure tightly with hempstring. Finish up the rice to make more dumplings.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tbsp of salt and sugar.

Put in the dumplings and cook for 2 hours. If using a pressure cooker, cook for 45-50 minutes.