Tết Đoan Ngọ (Dumpling Festival)

Recipe Link

Tết Đoan Ngọ is also know as tết sâu bọ or tết tháng 5 is celebrated on the 5^th day of the 5^th lunar month. It is said that this special day is when “New Year” in haven, hell and on earth collides (in Vietnamese tradition there is a “New Year” to celebrate every lunar month). It is also called tết sâu bọ (sâu bọ = worms, pests) because by this date framers would have prepared their land and rid all pests to start growing their crops for the new season. The tradition of eating dumplings, especially lye water dumplings, extends from the belief that these dumplings will cleanse one’s body of any unwanted “parasites”. I have been told, Tết tháng 5 is usually heavily celebrated in farming villages. Reason being, farmers are usually too busy during Tết Nguyên Đán (the new year celebrated in late January/early February) supplying everyone with fresh flowers, fruit, rice, and veggies that they do not have to time to celebrate Tết Nguyên Đán themselves. Therefore, they celebrate their own new years in the 5^th lunar month. These days it seems as though Tết Đoan Ngọ has been forgotten and no one really celebrates it anymore…a few dumplings to kick up the mood that’s it….how sad!

Recipe Link

Bánh Ú Nước Tro (Lye Water Dumplings)

Ingredients:
-375g sweet rice (aka glutinous rice)
-3 tbs lye water or 4 tbs baking soda
-water
-bamboo leaves

What to Do:
Wash rice and mix with lye water or baking soda. Add enough water to cover surface of rice by 2 inches. Soak rice overnight. Next morning wash rice may times until and drain. Wrap using bamboo leaves to form a triangular cone shape. Tie with kitchen twine and boil for at least 1 ½ hours. These dumplings are small use 1 tsp of rice per dumpling. Serve as a snack with sugar.

Bánh Bá Trạng (Bak Chang Dumplings)

Does anyone know why these pastries are called “dumplings”? I see it as more of a pastry. Anyways this is Chinese recipe as the name “Bá Trạng” is just the Vietnamese pronunciation of the Chinese name “Bak Chang”. The dumplings/pastries are usually put together to celebrate the 5^th day of the 5^th lunar month. The recipe itself is pretty easy, but very time consuming. I suggest marinating the meat, soaking the rice, chestnuts, mushrooms, beans, shrimp, lotus seeds and bamboo leaves overnight. Proceed to wrap and boil the dumplings the next day and serve the day after that.

For the Rice:
-1lb sweet rice (aka glutinous rice)
-3 tsp soy sauce
-1/2 tsp 5 spice powder
-1/2 tsp sesame oil
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp sugar
-1 tsp oyster sauce
-2 tbs oil

*Wash and soak rice for a few hours or overnight. Heat oil and stir fry rice with all other ingredients until rice begins to become sticky and transparent (1/2 cooked 1/2 raw).

Filling:
-30 dried chestnuts
-30 shitake mushrooms (15 if using large mushrooms)
-100g mung beans (peeled and split)
-100g dried shrimp
-100g dried lotus seeds
-30 salted egg yolks
-3 Chinese dried Chinese sausages
-1 1/2lb pork or chicken (boneless and skinless)
-4 cloves garlic
-2 shallots
-1/2 tsp 5 spice powder
-1/2 tsp sesame oil
-1 tsp pepper
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 tsp sugar
-1/2 tbs oyster sauce
-2 tsp soy sauce
-75 dried bamboo leaves

*Mince garlic and shallots. Cut meat into 30 pieces and mix with garlic, shallots, and all other spices and seasonings; marinate overnight. Soak chestnuts, mung beans, lotus seeds, mushrooms and dried shrimp overnight. Cut mushrooms into small pieces (30, if using large mushrooms). Soak bamboo leaves overnight, wash and wipe dry. Slice sausage into 10 slices.

What to Do:
Take 2 ½ bamboo leaves and roll to form a funnel shape. Add 1 tsp rice followed by 1 chestnut, 1 salted egg yolk, 1 piece of sausage, 1 mushroom, a pinch of dried shrimp, a pinch of mung beans, a few lotus seeds, and a piece of meat. Add more rice on top to cover the filling. Pat everything down using the back of a spoon. Fold the edges of the leaves over to completely cover the rice/dumpling (you should get a triangular cone shape). Tie with kitchen twine. Boil for 3 hours, soak and wash dumplings in cold water for 10 mins after boiling and hand to “dry” for at least 2 hours before serving.