Enter the dragon: Rice dumplings and what to drink with them

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Enter the dragon: Rice dumplings and what to drink with them

Chinese tea is often paired with rice dumplings to counter the latter's richness. But for a twist on tradition, you can also friction match them with wines, cocktails and Champagnes. Here's what some of Singapore'due south peak F&B joints recommend.

05 Jun 2022 06:30AM (Updated: x Aug 2022 03:23PM)

So the earth turns… and information technology's the Dragon Boat Festival all over again. It'southward that time of twelvemonth when Chinese traditions dictate the wearing of incense pouches believed to ward off diseases and evil spirits, hanging wormwood and calamus on doors and windows to keep more evil at bay, and racing dragon boats to the rhythmic beating of drums.

Here in Singapore, the most dominant tradition involves food (of class). More specifically, rice dumplings known every bit zongzi, bak zhang or kueh zhang, depending on your dialect group. There was a fourth dimension when rice dumpling offerings were as diverse equally mooncake ones, with each twelvemonth shoring up always wilder and wackier flavours (spiced beefiness cheek, unagi, or green tea lotus paste, anyone?).

Maybe it is the current time nosotros alive in, where staying home and safety has united states of america looking inwards and affectionate simplicity and the merits of all that is time honoured. Considering this twelvemonth'due south rice dumplings have gone dorsum to more than traditional routes with classic offerings like stewed pork, chestnuts and mushrooms. Even the new-fangled flavours cleave close to tradition by taking inspiration from classic dishes like bak kut teh and sesame oil craven.

Since the pandemic has us enjoying our meals at home for the time being, we've decided to throw in some drinkable pairing recommendations to go with the dumplings on offer this season.

READ> One time 'fast food' for farmers: How rice dumplings have evolved over the years

SPICY SMOKED DUCK WITH Dried SHRIMP DUMPLING – PARADISE GROUP

Luxury Trio Dumplings. (Photo: Paradise Group)

Spicy smoked duck stars in this year'southward dumpling line-up from Paradise Group. More is more when it comes to dumplings, and so the smoked duck is joined by the likes of pork belly, salted egg yolk, stale shrimp, shiitake mushrooms and mung beans. A mala sauce made from Sichuan peppercorns, chilli bean paste and cinnamon infuses the grains of viscous rice with delicious estrus and a lovely reddish hue.

To atmosphere the robustness of these dumplings, Vance Yeang, general managing director of Paradise Group's Wine & Beverage Partition, suggests more acidic drinks with floral, fruity notes.

"I recently discovered a cold mash by Teabrary called Garden Raspberry Rose Oolong. This refreshing tea has a rich oolong construction that's flavourful enough to cleanse the oiliness from the pork," he said.

"For wines, I recommend Villa Wolf Gewurztraminer from Frg. This off-dry wine is superb with sweetness or savoury rice dumplings. Information technology shows off the charms of lychee, peach, pineapple and fresh roses. Its acerbity harmonises with the dumpling's richness and leaves a lingering honey palatableness."

CLASSIC TAIWANESE DUMPLING WITH SESAME OIL Craven – HAI TIEN LO

Premium Rice Dumpling Fix. (Photograph: Hai Tien Lo)

Stalwarts like jumbo rice dumplings with abalone are back at Hai Tien Lo this yr, along with a couple for whose who'd rather eschew pork.

The Classic Taiwanese Dumpling with Sesame Oil Craven is fashioned after the popular Taiwanese dish of the same name and features a filling of chicken legs stewed with Chinese vino and sesame oil. There'due south likewise a Teochew Dumpling with Yam Paste and Ginko Basics – essentially, orh ni in dumpling grade – for those who like their desserts (and carbs).

Hai Tien Lo'southward executive chef Ben Zeng suggests a tea pairing of Regal Ruby-red Robe to go with the sesame oil chicken dumplings equally "these king of tea leaves from China's Wuyi Mount carry the fragrance of pollen and helps to convalesce greasiness. It is also known for its potent medicinal values," he said. As for the yam paste dumplings, he suggests an osmanthus oolong.

STEAMED RICE DUMPLING WITH ABALONE – SUMMER PALACE

Steamed Rice Dumpling filled with Abalone, Black Mushrooms, Chestnuts, Green Beans, Dried Scallop, Roast Duck, and Salted Egg Yolk wrapped in Bamboo Foliage. (Photograph: SummerPalace)

Meanwhile, tradition reigns at this Michelin-starred restaurant with a hearty steamed rice dumpling filled with a whole abalone, black mushrooms, chestnuts, dark-green beans, dried scallops, roast duck and salted egg yolk, all tucked inside a bamboo leafage. No doubt, this is a dumpling for sharing and will feed two amply.

Tradition, however, "is a guide and not a jailer", Somerset Maugham once said. And this quondam trope is amplified in Regent Singapore's executive Chinese chef Liu Ching Hai'southward response when asked to proper noun a drink pairing for Summer Palace's dumpling.

Liu worked with the hotel's head bartender Sophia Kang from Manhattan Bar and suggested nosotros try the Monsieur Saint-Jour bottled cocktail. "Information technology is crafted with fino sherry so it is calorie-free and dry out and offsets any heaviness from the rice and meat," he said. "It has a touch of orange bitters and a tinge of salinity from mignonette cordial and oyster leafage to refresh the palate between bites."

GRANDMA'Due south BRAISED PORK Abdomen WITH Regal Gummy RICE DUMPLING – CRYSTAL JADE

Crystal Jade'south Group executive chef Martin Foo takes the winning signature dish from Crystal Jade Palace featuring choice cuts of pork belly simmered in soy sauce, stone sugar and spices, and turns it into a wholesome dumpling.

He too throws some mushrooms and chestnuts into the mix for lovely textural dissimilarity. All this is encased in healthful purple glutinous rice, which imbues the dumpling with earthy, nutty notes.

Grandma'southward Braised Pork Abdomen with Purple Mucilaginous Rice Dumpling. (Photo: Crystal Jade)

Chef Foo said he likes to enjoy a well-made rice dumpling with a quality aged pu er or da hong pao tea. "While pu er is a relatively common tea served at about restaurants, a well-aged pu er possesses a depth and richness of flavor that is sweet, woodsy and earthy all at once. This cuts through the richness of rice dumplings and refreshes the palate for yet another mouthful.

"More than importantly, information technology counters the feeling of fullness 1 gets from consuming a sticky rice dumpling. Amongst some of the finest Chinese teas available, da hong pao has an intense flavour which stands up well against the hearty flavours of a rice dumpling, and leaves a refreshing floral annotation on the palate."

EIGHT TREASURE RICE DUMPLING – JIANG NAN CHUN

Steamed Viscid Rice Dumpling with Eight Treasures. (Photo: Jiang-Nan Chun)

Truly a treasure for constitute-based eaters, this Eight Treasure number from Four Season Singapore's Chinese eating place is stuffed with cordyceps flowers, black mushrooms, chestnuts, peanuts, lotus seeds, blackness center beans, and red and green beans.

Launder it down with LYSEROD from the Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Visitor, fabricated with exclusive Silver Needle tea and harbouring well-baked notes of jasmine and camomile (also available from the Iv Seasons Singapore online shop). It all sounds similar an edifying treat already.

SIGNATURE DUMPLING FEAST – RESORTS WORLD SENTOSA

Signature Prepare of viii Divine Dumplings. (Photograph: Resorts World Sentosa)

8 is the prime number for Resorts World Sentosa too. This year, it has gathered eight chefs from its stable of restaurants to put together a prepare of dumplings that run the gamut of flavours from Nonya and Hakka to Thai and Japanese.

In that location is a pink rice dumpling suffused with Japanese hoshi ebi (dried shrimp) by RWS executive sous chef Goh Wee Meng, filled with responsibly harvested sea whelk from France, sweet preserved radish, salted egg yolk, chestnuts and Hokkaido dried scallops.

Chest of Pearls. (Photo: Resorts World Sentosa)

Also appealingly different is the Chest of Pearls dumpling from Syun chef Noriyoshi Teruya, fashioned after a traditional sushi box. Wrapped in bamboo leaves are Japanese rice, aburi tai (torched sea bream) and red miso Tajima wagyu.

"To make this customary occasion a picayune more special, we recommend pairing our savoury rice dumplings with Laurent Perrier Rose Champagne… almost 100 per cent pinot noir, it is fruity and elegant and has great purity, construction and finesse. It drinks very well, with lively bubbles and acidity to cut through the richness of abalone, seafood and meat. Its crisp finish refreshes the palate," said Majestic Gao, head sommelier of Resorts World Sentosa.

ORGANIC MILLET V-GRAIN OMNIMEAT GLUTINOUS RICE DUMPLINGS – JADE

Organic Millet 5-Grain OmniMeat Gummy Rice Dumpling. (Photo: The Fullerton Hotel Singapore)

This wholesome dumpling might go out you feeling virtuous later eating it. Mixed with a healthy alloy of organic millet, mucilaginous rice, barley and brownish rice, it is filled with Omnimeat (a plant-based alternative to pork) and pan-fried mushrooms.

For a heartier option, there is the bak kut teh-flavoured pork glutinous rice dumpling, which is a riff on Jade's signature bak kut teh xiao long bao.

Bak Kut Teh Season Pork Glutinous Rice Dumpling. (Photo: The Fullerton Hotel Singapore)

General manager of The Fullerton Hotels and Resorts Cavaliere Giovanni Viterale recommends the archetype Eight Treasures Tea, a brew scented with the floral notes of jasmine, chrysanthemums and rosebuds.

Alternatively, he said an off-dry and food-friendly Schieferkopf Alsace Riesling from One thousand. Chapoutier, France makes for a good pairing as well. "The wine offers a linear and aromatic fashion that embraces the fragrance of the rice dumpling's pandan leaves," he added.

Enter the dragon: Rice dumplings and what to drink with them

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