Before using the bamboo leaves, they have to be boiled in water to soften them. This will make it easier to bend them when wrapping and they will not tear easily. It will also prevent leakage of the rice and other ingredients into the water when we cook the wrapped dumplings later.
After the leaves are softened by boiling, pour away the hot water and immersed them in cold tap water.
Briskly wash the leaves(they are mostly prewashed), and put them in a colander to drain away some of the water. They need not be dry to be used for wrapping, because once dry, they will become hard and easily torn.
The next step is to wrap the dumplings into diamond shapes , tie them in strings prepared earlier and put into a pot of boiling hot water. The water is put to boil before you start to wrap the dumplings. Put enough water , about half the pot so that all the dumplings are fully immersed when boiling. It takes about 2 - 3 hours to cook the rice. To ensure the heat is enough to completely cook every grain of rice, I put a heavy mortar on top of the pot cover to weigh it down. The steam is prevented from escaping too much and therefore the rice will be cooked easily.
The bunch of dumplings need to be lifted up from boiling water to change the positions of each so as to ensure even cooking.
Alas, my dumplings are done today! Everyone in the family is enjoying them. Usual comments...good enough to start a business....better than the ones sold outside.
After the leaves are softened by boiling, pour away the hot water and immersed them in cold tap water.
Briskly wash the leaves(they are mostly prewashed), and put them in a colander to drain away some of the water. They need not be dry to be used for wrapping, because once dry, they will become hard and easily torn.
The next step is to wrap the dumplings into diamond shapes , tie them in strings prepared earlier and put into a pot of boiling hot water. The water is put to boil before you start to wrap the dumplings. Put enough water , about half the pot so that all the dumplings are fully immersed when boiling. It takes about 2 - 3 hours to cook the rice. To ensure the heat is enough to completely cook every grain of rice, I put a heavy mortar on top of the pot cover to weigh it down. The steam is prevented from escaping too much and therefore the rice will be cooked easily.
The bunch of dumplings need to be lifted up from boiling water to change the positions of each so as to ensure even cooking.
After 2 hours or so, remove one to test if the rice is completely cooked. In the inner grains of rice has not been cooked yet, we will have to wait a few minutes longer but usually 2 - 3 hours is sufficient.
Alas, my dumplings are done today! Everyone in the family is enjoying them. Usual comments...good enough to start a business....better than the ones sold outside.
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