Preparation

• For The Rice
• 1kg New Moon Premium Glutinous Rice
•  
• Seasonings For Rice
• 2 tbsp New Moon Premium Grade Dark Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp New Moon Premium Grade Light Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Shallot Oil, either store-bought or home-made
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Five-Spice Powder
•  
• Filling
• 1kg Pork Belly
• 7 pcs New Moon Premium Australia Abalone (7 - 10pcs)
• 6-7 pcs Dried Shiitake Mushroom, soaked
• 6-7 pcs Dried Chestnuts, soaked
• 6-7 pcs Salted Duck Egg Yolks
• 50 gm Dried Shrimps, soaked
• 3 tsp Shallot Oil, either store-bought or home-made
• 3 tsp Garlic, diced

•  
• Marinade for Meat
• 1kg Pork Belly, diced into 3cm cubes
• 2 tbsp Shao Xing Wine
• 3 tbsp New Moon Premium Grade Dark Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp New Moon Premium Grade Light Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Sugar
• ¼ tsp Ground White Pepper
• 1 tsp Five-Spice Powder
• 1 tbsp Shallot Oil, either store-bought or home-made
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks
• 3 Star Anise
• 2 Green Cardamom

2 Cloves

•  
• For Wrapping

• 1 stalk Bamboo Leaves
• String
• 1 tsp Vegetable Oil, for soaking

Cooking Instructions

• Preparing Braised Pork Belly

1. Marinate the diced 3cm pork belly cubes with dark & light soy sauce, sugar, Shao Xing Wine and ground white pepper overnight. (Tip: Marinate overnight for more flavour!)
2. Next day, stir-fry marinated pork belly with shallot oil and Five-Spice Powder.
3. Once cooked, add in water to fully-submerge the meat. Add in Cinnamon Sticks, Star Anise, Green Cardamom and Cloves to bring out flavour. Then bring to boil.
4. Add in 1 tbsp of dark soy sauce if you prefer stronger flavour! Taste and season accordingly while cooking along the way. 
5. Remove and set aside to cool.

Preparing Shallot Oil

1. Peel the Shallot.
2. Fry with cooking oil until golden brown.
3. Separate Shallot & Shallot Oil and set aside for use.

Preparing Glutinous Rice

1. Soak the glutinous rice in water overnight (or at least for four hours). (Tip: No soaking is required if you use New Moon Premium Glutinous Rice.)
2. Rinse the glutinous rice a few times under running water until the water is clear.
3. Stir-fry the drained glutinous rice with shallot oil.
4. Add in salt, sugar, five-spice powder, dark soy sauce and light soy sauce for seasoning.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference. Mix thoroughly.
6. Remove and set aside to cool.

Preparing Shiitake Mushroom

1. Soak the dry shiitake mushrooms in water until fully rehydrated.
2. Remove the stems. Cut the mushrooms into thin strips (Optional).
3. Stir-fry the Mushroom with shallot oil and garlic.
4. Set aside for wrapping.

Preparing Chestnut

1. Soak the chestnuts in water.
2. Remove any remaining skin with a toothpick.
3. Stir-fry with shallot oil and garlic.
4. Set aside for wrapping.

Preparing Dried Shrimp

1. Soak the dried shrimps for one hour.
2. Clean with water thoroughly to remove any impurities.
3. Stir-fry with some shallot oil.
4. Set aside for wrapping.

Preparing Bamboo Leaves

1. Wash the leaves thoroughly to remove any muds.
2. Place the leaves in a stockpot fill with cold water until it is sufficient to submerge the leaves.
3. Add vegetable oil into the water. (Why? Vegetable oil helps to prevent the glutinous rice from sticking onto the leaves when you wrap the filling later.)
4. Place a heavy bowl on top of the pot to stop the leaves from floating on the water.
5. Keep the leaves in water until you are ready to wrap your Bak Zhangs. The leaves will become brittle again if you let them dry out.

Wrapping the Bak Zhang!

1. Take 2 bamboo leaves, use the smooth side of the leaves to wrap the rice and fillings.
2. Fold them at 3/4 of the leaves to form a cone.
3. Fill the cone with a tablespoon of glutinous rice at the bottom. Put in the fillings - salted egg yolk, pork belly, abalone, dried shrimp, mushroom and chestnut. Add glutinous rice to fill to the brim. Compress with a spoon.
4. Fold and Wrap - Hold the cone with one hand to secure its shape. Fold down the leave to close the cone. Press it firmly, so it will not fall apart and get a tight seal.
   Fold the extra leaves to one side of the Bak Zhang.
   Lastly, secure the shape with a string.
5. All done! Now, let's cook and get ready to eat. Yums!

Cooking Bak Zhang

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. The amount of water MUST be enough to submerge all the Bak Zhangs.
2. Boil the Bak Zhangs on low heat for 2-3 hours.
3. Check water level from time to time. Make sure to maintain the level of water to just enough to submerge all the Bak Zhangs. (Important: Always add boiled water (not cold water) to the pot.)
4. Take out the Bak Zhangs and hang dry. Unwrap them and you can enjoy delicious Bak Zhangs!
5. You may freeze for later consumption for up to a month.

Reheating Bak Zhang

1. Add about one liter of water into a wok.
2. Place a steamer rack in the wok, and make sure the water level is below the steamer rack to prevent the Bak Zhangs from getting wet.
3. Bring the water to a boil.
4. Put Bak Zhangs into the wok.
5. Reduce the heat to steam for another 20 minutes.
6. Unfold the leaves and serve.