Time To Eat Bak Chang!
Dragon Boat Festival (็ซฏๅ่) falls on 7 June this year. Like many fellow Singaporeans, the occasion doesn’t really hold a great deal of significance to me. Since I was a kid, I’ve always known Dragon Boat Festival as Dumpling Festival because it’s the time of the year to eat bak chang (rice dumplings with meat filling), lol. And that’s about it.
When my late grandmother was still around, she would make a lot of bak chang and kee chang (alkaline rice dumplings) to share between my mum and her siblings. Big pity no one inherited her recipe so no one in the family knew how to make bak chang. For 3 years since Grandma passed on, I kinda forgotten all about the Dumpling Festival tradition.
Joo Chiat Kim Choo Traditional Dumplings on Qoo10
WWW.QOO10.SG
Sometime last year, I came across a time sale deal of Joo Chiat Kim Choo Traditional Dumplings on Qoo10 and thought I would order some of their bak chang to try for the first time. I’m not a bak chang connoisseur but since my first order, I fell in love with their dumplings. And subsequently, I ordered a couple more times whenever the craving kicked in. Currently there is no promo (there is free delivery to your doorstep though) as Dumpling Festival is round the corner and demand is up but if you have Q-coupons or Q-points to use, that’s where the extra savings come in. After the Dumpling Festival, try checking back the same link above again. You never know what you’ll find. ๐
My dumpling order came in a box like this but it wasn’t always so. There were times when they were packed in just plastic bags. So if you intend to gift the dumplings to someone and prefer a presentable packaging, do check with the seller on Qoo10 if the box will be included – just in case.
By the way, please do not confuse this brand with Kim Choo Kueh Chang. They are different. ๐
My usual order would be Nonya Rice Dumplings (red) and Salted Rice Dumplings (green). ๐
The Salted Rice Dumpling (left) is the typical Hokkien style dumpling that is dark brown in colour. And the white dumpling on the right is the Nonya one.
Nonya Bak Chang – Sweet
I like that their rice dumplings are always generously filled with ingredients unlike some mediocre ones that have too much rice and too little filling. This Nonya bak chang is special as it tastes sweet as a savoury dumpling due to the use of winter melon strips. The texture is rather meaty and overall it has an additional fragrance of pandan leaves too. It’s like a mix of Nonya kueh and bak chang. Great if you have sweet tooth.ย ๐
Salted Bak Chang – Salty
Between the 2 flavours, I like the Salted Rice Dumpling best because of its familiar taste that really reminds me of my Grandma’s bak chang. It has a good ratio of ingredients to rice. Everything is nicely seasoned including the rice itself. There are chestnut, mushrooms and pork that give a lovely bite.
I had tried some fancy and atas bak chang that are quite frickin’ expensive but I did that just for novelty’s sake. Honestly, nothing beats good traditional bak chang like these.
Ordering bak chang online is all about the convenience of having them delivered to my doorstep. And just to ensure I am able to get hold of these yummy bak chang even during peak Dumpling Festival period so I can share with the rest of my family members. So what are you waiting for? Order your bak chang today. ๐