Dumplings & Dialects

Featured Photo by Mae Mu on Unsplash

Living in a multi-dialect country means having access to many varieties of these delicious dumpling (aka bak chang) goodness during the Dragon Boast Festival! I personally did not know that there are this many types of dumplings available in Singapore, and now I want to try all of them! Read on for these 6 common types of dumplings and see if you’ve tried them all.

Hokkien Bak Chang

Image taken from What To Cook Today

Probably the most common kind of bak chang, even my Cantonese grandmother makes them sometimes!

Rice: Brown coloured with dark soy sauce

Filling: Chestnut, pork belly, dried mushrooms, and dried shrimps

Taste: Well-balanced and aromatic

Cantonese Bak Chang

Image taken from lokalocal

I’d say the Cantonese version is quite similar to the Hokkien Bak Chang, except sometimes they are wrapped in a longish distinct shape.

Rice: Seasoned with salt and garlic oil

Filling: Chinese smoked sausage, salted egg yolk, beans or peanuts, pork lard and lean meat

Taste: Savoury

Teo Chew Bak Chang

Image taken from Huang Kitchen

Looks pretty similar to the Hokkien and Cantonese Bak Chang I’d say, but the ingredients are vastly different, what is unique to the Teo Chew Bak Chang is that the red bean paste is rolled into a ball then wrapped!

Rice: Seasoned with salt, pepper, soy sauce, dark soy sauce and Chinese five-spice powder

Filling: Red bean paste, pork belly, shiitake mushrooms and dried shrimp

Taste: Balance of sweet and savoury

Nyonya Bak Chang

Image taken from the MEATMENchannel

Beautiful. I haven’t seen this around myself, so I’d definitely want to try this someday (also because I’m a super fan of coriander)!

Rice: Mixed with butterfly pea essence

Filling: Minced lean pork, candied winter melon and coriander powder

Taste: Pandan aroma and sweet

Hainanese Bak Chang

Image taken from lokalocal

What is unique about the Hainanese Bak Chang is that they’re wrapped with banana leaves instead of bamboo leaves, leaving an indescribable aroma! They're also huge so for the ones who're always leaving hungry after having the common-sized bak chang, try this.

Rice: Stir-fried with black pepper, dark soy sauce and Chinese five-spice powder

Filling: Fatty pork belly, chestnuts, mushrooms and sometimes cuttlefish

Taste: Sweet

Kee Chang

Image taken from Bread et Butter

My personal favourite and a must-try for all glutinous rice fans!

Rice: Yellow glutinous rice made from lye water

Filling: None, but sometimes red bean

Taste: Sweet with dipped with gula melaka, sugar or kaya!

Of course, to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, Toast Box is offering a delicious dumpling set perfect for gifting to your loved ones or even for yourself, available on FoodLine!

*Toast Box promo: Enjoy 1 FREE Dumpling for purchase of 5 OR 2 FREE Dumpling for purchase of 10!

View menu here: https://www.foodline.sg/d/21732