Sweet Rice Dumpling with Coconut and Mung Bean

This is a very popular dessert in Southeast Asia. This is usually made during the Spring Festival or Cambodian, Thai, Lao New Year during the month of April 10-13 and it is made to bring it to the Temple to honor the buddha for blessing. Also other popular event like a birthday, Memorial Day and other special occasion. It supposed to shaped like the pyramid meaning descending to heaven and the path to reincarnation. It is made of glutinous flour or sweet rice flour and usually fill with coconut and sesame or mung bean. I can’t stand the one with mung bean, because it more salty than sweet. I love the coconut and sesame version. The fragrance of the grated coconut and palm sugar is jut too good to pass.
So in my version here, I decided to add all three together: the mung bean, coconut and black sesame with palm sugar. And it is sooooo good. The mung bean just melts in your mouth and the coconut and sesame just linger with the sweetness of the palm sugar.

This is another one of those dessert that look very hard to make, but once you get the hang of it, it is as easy as pie….maybe even easier..lol





















Ingredients:

Skin wrapper:

2 Lb fresh banana leave
3 Cup of glutinous rice flour
1/4 Cup of wheat starch flour
½ Cup of palm sugar
2 Cup Hot boiling water

Filling:

1 Cup of palm sugar
1/8 Cup of water
1/4 Tsp of salt
1 Cup peel mung bean (cooked for 20 + minutes and blend to a fine paste)
1 Cup shredded coconut
1 Tbsp roasted black sesame seed

Methods:

Preparing banana leaves.

1. Clean and dried the banana leave thoroughly.
2. Turn on the stove to low and roll the banana leave over it slowly, careful not to burn it. This will make it softer and easier to wrap.
3. Cut the banana leave into 10 inches circle or 10 inches square. Circle wraps prettier. Set aside.

Filling:
1. Heat the water and the palm sugar and salt until slightly thicken and light brown.
2. Add the mung bean and stir until all the water has been absorb.
3. Add the coconut and cook until it is thick and paste like.
4. Removed and set aside to cool.
5. After it cool down, rolls into ball for desire size…half dollar coin is perfect.

For the skin:

1. Heat water to boil add the sugar and melt it completely.
2. Slowly add in flour an corn starch a little at a time until dough is pliable.
3. Dust some corn starch on your finger and take a dollar size coin and roll into a ball.
4. Flatten it with the palm of your hand and spread the side to look like a miniature tortilla. About 1/8 inches thick.
5. Place the filling in the middle and close it up. Roll into ball again.
6. Now take the banana leaves circle and fold it in half and then another half.
7. Open it up and it looks like a cup. Drop the ball of dough in there and carefully
fold the first corner in front of you. Then fold the one on the right side on top of it.
Now fold the left side on top of the right side and lastly fold the one that on top 12 o’clock on top of the left folded side and whatever left over tuck it under.
8. Put it in the steam and steam for 30 minutes. Make sure not to let water on it or it will be soggy.
9. Remove and eat while it hot or cold.