Veggie Tuen Ng Festival - Healthy Rice Dumplings | KFBG Blog::Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden

Veggie Tuen Ng Festival - Healthy Rice Dumplings

3 June 2015 | Low Carbon Tips

Traditional Chinese rice dumplings are made with salted eggs and pork belly, which are of high cholesterol and little dietary fibre. Why not celebrate the festival by making a veggie version of rice dumpling? It's much healthier and still very savoury!

Let's see the nutritional difference between homemade rice dumplings and those you found in the market:

Nutrition Information:

	Products in the Market	Healthy Mini Rice Dumpling
Ingredients	Glutinous rice, mung beans, pork belly and salted egg yolks	Brown rice, glutinous rice, red rice, red beans, mung beans, white beans, lentils, dried beancurds, corns, dried radish, garlic, shallots, white sesame, oatmeal and Chinese mushroom
Fat	High	Very low
Saturated fat	Yes	No
Cholesterol	Yes	No
Dietary Fibre	Little	Plenty
Others	Each weighs 250g	Each weighs 100g

Calorie and Nutrition Info of Cantonese rice dumpling with pork (per 100g): 180kcal, Protein 5.7g, Carbohydrates 25g, Fat 6.7g, Saturated fat 2g, Cholesterol 35mg, Dietary Fibre 1.7g, Sodium 260mg) (Source: Food Research Laboratory under Centre for Food Safety)

Impacts on Environment and Health:

	Products in the Market	Healthy Mini Rice Dumpling
Cooking time	3 hours	1 hour
Additives	Preservatives + MSG	No
Packaging	Bamboo leaves, saltwater grass, individual plastic wrapping and non-woven bags	Bamboo leaves and saltwater grass
Freshness	Unknown	Freshly cooked
Others		Children can help making rice dumplings with their families and learn more about traditional food.
		Deepen their understanding of food ingredients and nutritions.

Recipe of Healthy Mini Rice Dumplings

Healthy Mini Rice Dumplings		For 10 rice dumplings, each weighs around 100g
Ingredients	Portion	Preparation
Brown rice, glutinous rice, red rice	150g	Soak for 3 hours and mix with 1/2 teaspoons of salt
Red beans	25g	Soak for 3 hours
Peeled mung beans	100g	Soak for 3 hours
White beans	25g	Soak for 10 hours
Lentils	25g	No soaking
Dried beancurds	25g	Cut into chunks
Corns	25g	Cut into chunks
Dried radish	25g	Cut into very small pieces
Garlic	25g	Cut into chunks
Shallots	25g	Cut into chunks
White Sesame	25g	Stir fry first and put aside
Oatmeal	100g
Chinese mushrooms	50g	Soak until soft, then cut into small pieces. Mix well with 1/2 teaspoon of soya sauce, sugar, sesame oil and cornstarch
Bamboo Leaves + Saltwater Grass	18 + 18 pieces	Wash with water then soak in boiling water for 30 minutes. Let it cool down and wash again with water, drain off the water and set aside.

Steps：
(1.) Mix brown rice, glutinous rice, red rice together with oatmeal
(2.) Mix Chinese mushrooms with garlics
(3.) Layer 1/ 1.5 pieces of leaves, with the smooth sides up and form a cone. Add the fillings in this order:
1/2 tablespoon of (1), 1/2 teaspoon of red beans and mung beans, 1/2 teaspoon of white beans, 1/2 teaspoon of lentils, 1 teaspoon of dried radish, 1 teaspoon of corns, 1 teaspoon of corns, 1 teaspoon of (2) , 1/2 teaspoon of white sesame and and 1 heaped tablespoon of rice. Use saltwater grass to wrap tightly around the dumpling. Steam the rice dumplings on boiling water over medium heat for an hour.

Try the above recipe at home with your family and friends, it's more fun, healthier and eco-friendly! Choose as many local ingredients as possible to reduce carbon footprints, eat less meat and be nice to yourselves and the planet!