Meal wrapped in Bamboo leaves!

Chinese food has been one of the most regarded cuisines in the world. Like most cuisines, the dish may vary depending on the province in came from. My mother's family was from Fukien so most of the Chinese dishes I have eaten while growing up came from there. One of the food I constantly crave for is Ma Chang, a dimsum with sticky rice and meat wrapped in bamboo leaves.

It can be wrapped with banana leaves if you cannot find bamboo leaves but it will not smell the same. The dried bamboo leaves impart a distinct flavor to the sticky rice. It can be bought from grocery stores in Chunatown.

I used pork in this recipe but you can also use chicken. Another indispensable ingredient is the black mushroom. So don't ever skip that if you already skipped the bamboo leaves. This recipe is enough to make at least 10 pieces of medium size Ma Chang.

Ingredients:

1 kl pork with fat, cut into bite size

5 pcs black mushrooms (big), soaked in hot water, overnight

1 kl sticky rice or glutinous rice, soaked in water for 2 hours

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup dark soy sauce

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

black pepper

Saute the onion and garlic in oil. Put the pork and brown all sides. Pour the soy sauce and add water to cover the meat. Put the sliced black mushrooms next. Cook until tender.

Remove the pork into a separate container. Set aside. Use the sauce to cook the sticky rice.

Pour the uncooked sticky rice in the pot of sauce. And cook until the liquid is gone.

Soak the dried leaves for a couple of hours to make them flexible again.

Get 2-3 leaves and make a funnel. Put enough rice and a couple of pieces of meat and mushrooms. Fold the leaves to close it. Use white strings to secure the triangle.

Steam the Ma Chang for 45 minutes.

Serve hot and eat with catsup! (I know it's weird but it does taste good with it!)

You can store the Ma Chang in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Just steam it again to reheat.