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The Dumpling Festival came and went during the days when I was on my vegetarian diet. So I didn’t get to join my family sitting around on the outdoor chaise lounges at my Dad’s house to savor these goodies.

Luckily for me though, my dear neighbor slipped me some of her homemade bachang, or rice dumplings across the fence. I kept them frozen till recently when I took them out, resteamed them and mmmm, words can’t describe.

There’s 3 different types here – spicy sambal bachang (top left), rice dumpling with wobbly pork chunks, chestnuts and dried shrimp (top right) and the pea version of the rice dumpling (bottom).

Dang, these dumplings are so tasty I wish I knew how to make them myself. The filling takes quite a bit of work to make. As for the banana leaf wrapping, I admit I’ve just never mastered the art of getting the filling to stay inside the banana leaf while I’m trying to get the string secured.

The ones I make are not foolproof. I can never be sure when my painstakingly wrapped dumplings will pop open and come loose in the pot. It’s like they’re wearing a swimsuit that’s a size too big and wo-oosh, the swimsuit slips right off in the water ! OMG, how awful when I have to go fishing in that pot for those naked bachangs, hahaha!