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There’s something truly magical about Nyonya rice dumplings—comforting blue rice wrapped around a sweet-savoury meat filling that reminds me of home and family gatherings.
Nyonya rice dumplings, also known as 娘惹粽 or Nyonya chang or kueh chang, are a beloved Peranakan delicacy that beautifully blend Chinese and Malay culinary traditions. These pyramid-shaped parcels of glutinous rice, often tinted a striking blue with butterfly pea flowers, encase a rich filling of sweet, savoury, and aromatic ingredients. Every bite tells a story of heritage, family, and festive celebration.
Making rice dumplings is more than food preparation; it’s a ritual that connects families and generations. From soaking the rice and preparing the fillings a day ahead to the meticulous wrapping and slow cooking, each step is an act of love and cultural preservation. My family rarely makes this ourselves, since living in Singapore, you can easily buy rice dumplings anytime from the food stalls. But when we do get together to make it, we really had a great time bonding together as a family.
When do you eat Nyonya rice dumplings?
Nyonya rice dumplings are traditionally enjoyed during the Dragon Boat Festival, also called 端午节 Duanwu Festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (usually in June in the western calendar). This Chinese festival commemorates the ancient poet Qu Yuan, whose story inspired the ritual of throwing rice dumplings into rivers to protect his body from being eaten by fish. For the Peranakan community, making and sharing kueh chang is a cherished annual event symbolising family unity and cultural pride. The dumplings are often given to relatives and friends, enjoyed at breakfast or tea, and evoke warm memories of past celebrations and loved ones
What are the different types of rice dumplings
While the traditional Hokkien rice dumplings or ‘ba zhang’ are well-known, the Peranakan Nyonya rice dumpling stands out with its unique flavours and ingredients. The Cantonese rice dumplings typically feature savoury fillings such as salted egg yolk, braised pork belly, and mushrooms. While the Teo Chew version is savoury-sweet and contains similar ingredients as the Hokkien and Cantonese versions, the sweet part refers to the red bean paste added to the filling. There is also the sweet version of rice dumplings called ‘kee zhang’ and it’s typically wrapped with red beans. In Northern China, it’s not uncommon to find more varieties of the sweet zongzi. Check out this Osmanthus Red Bean Zongzi 桂花红豆粽子 recipe.
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In contrast, Nyonya rice dumplings combine sweet and savoury elements, often including pork belly or pork shoulder, candied winter melon, and a distinct blend of spices such as coriander powder and fermented soybean paste (tauceo) and cekur (difficult to find in grocery stores). It’s also really pretty with the blue hue of the rice, derived naturally from butterfly pea flowers. The blue hue is a signature feature that sets Nyonya dumplings apart visually and culturally.
What are the ingredients to make Nyonya rice dumplings
The ingredients to make Nyonya rice dumplings can be segregated by these main categories:
- Rice
- The foundation of Nyonya rice dumplings is glutinous rice, sometimes mixed with blue rice coloured by butterfly pea flowers for a beautiful contrast. Glutinous rice has to be soaked at least 6 hours before cooking.
- Some recipes only mix seasoning to the rice and use the rice as is to wrap the rice dumplings, while some recipes stir fry the rice to give it more flavour. I find that cooking the rice briefly before wrapping makes it more flavourful and you do not have to boil the rice dumplings for more than 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Meat filling
- The main protein used is usually pork belly or pork shoulder (五花肉) and preferably contains 40% to 50% fats. I have tried using pork belly which I cut myself and pork shoulder which I got the butcher to mince. The pork belly which I cut myself actually has better taste and texture, even though cutting it is challenging as the meat is really tender. One way to get around it is to blanch it first before cutting, but lazy me skipped this step. The minced texture of the pork shoulder makes it a little firmer and less tender.
- The sweetness of the meat filling comes from the candied winter melon which is typically found in the dried food section.
- Dried shiitake mushrooms are also added which greatly enhances the umami profile of the meat filling.
- Seasonings will include salt, unrefined brown sugar, soy sauce, tau cheo (fermented soy sauce), white pepper powder and coriander powder.
- Lesser galangal or kecur is one of the key spices used but in this recipe I omitted it because I couldn’t find it in any groceries stores or supermarkets.
- Wrapper
- Nearing this time of the Dragon Boat festival, grocery stalls and supermarkets will start selling these dried bamboo leaves and bamboo strings. They are dried up so it’s necessary to soak them for about 2 hours to rehydrate.
- I usually boil the bamboo leaves for another 30 minutes to full rehydrate the leaves so they become more pliable and moist for wrapping.
- Cut some pandan leaves and place it into the wrapped dumplings for a naturally fragrant pandan aroma.
Watch how to make Nyonya Kueh Chang on YouTube
How to store Nyonya rice dumplings
Cooked rice dumplings can be left in the open for up to 2 days and it’s best to consume as soon as possible since it’ll be fresh and tender.
To keep it longer, chill it in the fridge for up to 7 days. To serve, either open up the leaves (optional) and microwave for 2 minutes, or steam it for about 5 minutes on high heat.
To keep it longer for up to 6 months, keep it in the freezer wrapped in a plastic bag or box. Don’t need to thaw when ready to consume. Just reheat in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, or steam it for about 10-15 minutes on high heat.
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Nyonya Rice Dumpling 娘惹粽 (Peranakan Kueh Chang)
Detailed Step-by-Step Video
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 kg glutinous rice
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 6 shallots, about 30 g
- 3 tbsp salt
- 1.5 cups water, for soaking the shiitake mushrooms
- 5 butterfly blue pea flowers, fresh or dried or powder
- 5 tbsp water, to make butter blue pea flower tea
- 5 fresh pandan leaves, washed, for making pandan juice
- 5 tbsp water, to make pandan juice
Meat filling
- 800 g pork belly, can also use pork shoulder, opt for 40%-50% fat
- 2 bulbs garlic
- 20 shallots, about 100g
- 200 g candied winter melon
- 15 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 2 tbsp unrefined brown sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp tau cheo, salted fermented soy beans
- 7 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp coriander powder
- 2 tbsp white pepper powder
- 150 ml water, to braise the meat filling, optional
Others
- 5 fresh pandan leaves, washed, to use for wrapping
- 50-60 dried bamboo leaves
- 30 bamboo strings
Instructions
Prepare all the ingredients
- Recommended to do this a day before cooking the rice.Wash 1 kg glutinous rice 3-5 times until the water runs clear. Soak the rice (make sure water more than covers the rice as the rice will expand) overnight or for at least 6 hours. (I soaked the rice for 12 hours). Drain off water the next day and set aside.
- Peel the shallots (total 20 shallots and 6 shallots) and 2 bulbs garlic and dice finely.
- Cut 200 g candied winter melon finely, about 1cm.
- Soak 15 dried shiitake mushrooms in 1.5 cups water for about one hour or until softened. Save the mushroom water for cooking the rice later. Squeeze dry the mushrooms. Cut off the mushroom stems, and dice the mushrooms into small pieces.
- Wash and cut 5 fresh pandan leaves into about 2 inches long. These will used to add to the wrapping later.
- Cut 5 fresh pandan leaves into smaller pieces. Add 5 tbsp water.Blend the pandan juice until the pandan leaves are mostly blended. Sieve the pandan juice to remove the pulp.
- Boil 5 tbsp water and add to 5 butterfly blue pea flowers. Let it steep for 10 minutes, covered. Then drain off the flowers and set the blue tea aside.Note: if using fresh butterfly pea flowers, wash flowers well, add boiling water and let it steep for 15 min or until the water turns dark blue. Drain off the flowers to get the blue tea. if using powder, just add the powder to the hot water, strain to remove undissolved powder.
- Cut 800 g pork belly into about 1cm thickness or as fine as possible.
Cook the rice (can be prepared a day before wrapping the dumplings)
- Warm 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok or heavy based pan over medium heat.Add 6 shallots (minced) and sauté until caramelised and aromatic.
- Add glutinous rice and stir fry for about a minute.
- Add 1.5 cups mushroom water, 3 tbsp salt, and cook for about a minute until the water evaporates. Rice should not be too sticky. Remove from heat and let it cool down completely.
- Divide the rice into 3 portions. Add the butterfly blue pea flower tea to one portion and mix well. Add the pandan juice to one portion and mix well. Note: it is entirely optional to add the blue pea flower tea and pandan juice to the rice.
Cook the meat filling (can be prepared a day before wrapping the dumplings)
- Warm 7 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok or heavy based pan over medium heat. Add 20 shallots (minced) and sauté until almost translucent. Then add garlic and sauté until aromatic.
- Add the pork belly and stir fry for about a minute.
- Add the diced mushrooms and cook for about 1 min.
- Add winter melon, 2 tbsp tau cheo, 2 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp soy sauce, and 2 tbsp unrefined brown sugar and mix well.Add 150 ml water if it's too dry. Lower the heat and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, or until the water evaporates. Do a taste test and adjust the seasoning accordingly. The meat filling should be savoury and sweeter than normal. We will boil the dumplings later and the flavouring will dilute slightly after boiling).
- Finally, add 2 tbsp coriander powder and 2 tbsp white pepper powder and mix well. Turn off the heat. Cover and let it cool completely.
Prepare the bamboo leaves and strings (on the same day of wrapping the dumplings)
- Soak 50-60 dried bamboo leaves for 2 hours. Use a heavy bowl to push the leaves down so that they fully submerged into the water. Then boil the leaves over high heat for 30 minutes.Remove the leaves from the heat and wash the leaves under running water. Wipe off the water gently with a clean cloth. This will also help to remove any dirt that might be stuck on the leaves.Note: don’t use paper to wipe the leaves as the pulp will stick onto the leaves. Keep the leaves moist, otherwise dry leaves will crack while wrapping. If they dry out, simply rehydrate them by dipping them into water and wipe with a towel.
- Soak 30 bamboo strings in water for one hour so that they become pliable for wrapping.
Assemble the rice dumplings
- Stack 2 leaves on top of each other. The smooth side of the leaves should face up and the stem side faced down. Fold into a cone shape.Note: choose the leaves that are not broken or have holes in between to avoid leakage.
- Place a piece of the cut pandan leaves into the cone.Fill the cone up with about 1 tbsp of rice, filling up 1/3 of the cone. Make an indentation in the middle for the filling. Then add the meat filling. I added 2 tbsp heaps of meat filling.Top up with 1 to 2 tbsp of rice. Press gently with the back of the spoon to make sure the fillings are compressed.
- Slightly squeeze the two sides of the cone. Then fold the top over.Fold in the 2 sides to close the gap on the side of the cone.Then wrap the loose end of the bamboo leaves over.
- Use a long bamboo string, hold one end of the string and twirl the string around the dumpling 2-3 times.Tie the knot twice to secure the wrapping, but do not tie it too tight as the rice will expand after cooked and will explode out of the wrapping.
- Bring a big pot of water to boil over high heat.Add the rice dumplings to the pot of boiling water. Make sure the water more than covers the rice dumplings. Cover the pot and bring it to boil, then reduce heat to simmering. Simmer the rice dumplings for about 1.5 to 2 hours. Add water if the water level decreases. Stir every now and then to ensure the rice dumplings are cooked evenly.Check if the rice dumplings are cooked by opening up the rice dumpling, the rice will have turned soft and sticky. Note: if cooked in pressure cooker, you will only need about 45 minutes.
- Remove the cooked rice dumplings from the pot of water. Hang it or leave it on a cooling rack to drain water off.
- Best to let the flavours develop for 24 hours before enjoying it.
Notes
- This recipe makes about 28 (about 110g) rice dumplings which I liked as the portion is much smaller than the ones you buy in food stalls. If you wrap it in normal sizes (about 150-180g), it should yield about 25 bak chang.
- The smooth non-ribbed side of the bamboo leaves face upwards when you wrap. The stem side faces down. Some recipes will soak the leaves overnight to make it pliable. My mummy told me to soak and boil them and I find this process faster.
- The bamboo leaves are actually still quite dirty even after soaking and boiling. Be sure to wipe it with a clean cloth. Also ensure that the leaves and strings are moist so that they are pliable for wrapping the bak chang.
- The meat filling, after cooked, should taste slightly sweeter than usual. This is alright as the rice dumplings will be boiled in water for more than an hour and the flavours will be diluted into the water.
- When tying the knot around the bak chang, be sure not to tie it too tight. The rice will expand during boiling and the last thing you want is for the rice and filling to burst out of the bamboo leaves.
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