Sunday, June 05, 2016

RICE DUMPLINGS GALORE AT TAO



Celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, Duan Wu Jie for the Chinese community is celebrated with the making and eating of chungs (rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves) and dragon boat races. The occasion is believed to serve as a tribute to a brave poet cum minister in exile Qu Yuan who drowned himself in the Miluo River, in his protest against the dismal state of affairs in the ancient Chinese kingdom.

This year, Tao's master dim sum chef Lo Tian Sion commemorates the festival with five varieties of rice dumplings which will available until 9 June 2016.

Handmade fresh daily by the chef who has over two decades of experience, the most impressive variant has to be abalone sea treasure rice dumpling (RM72.80 nett per piece). Instead of the customary ginger powder, Chef Lo has used five spice powder to give the humongous chung a different accent.
We had a sneak sampling of the gigantic dumpling which came packed with roast duck, salted egg yolk, baby abalone, dried scallop, dried oysters, sea cucumber and other delectable ingredients. Chockful of hearty flavours, it was the day's crowd fave as the huge portion was left us replete and happily satisfied.
Personally, I found the mini red bean paste dumplings (RM14 nett for two pieces) a classic winner. The plain sticky rice was compact enough and boasted a generous filling of mildly sweet red bean mash.

Another savoury version consists of dried oyster with braised peanuts and black eyed beans (RM22 nett per piece) wrapped in an elongated parcel. Traditionalists will enjoy this tasty offering which stays close to the familiar ham yuk chung (savoury meat dumplings) taste of yesteryear.
The chef's inventive streak rises to fore in the spicy Nyonya rice dumpling with dried shrimps and diced chicken dumpling (RM24.80 nett). Boldly accentuated with homemade Nyonya sauce - a robust blend of dried shrimps, dried chilli and five spices powder, the rice dumpling should appeal to those partial to strong, piquant flavoured food. The purist in me yearns for the sweetish nuance of candied wintermelon which makes Nyonya changs so distinctly different.

Mindful of health-conscious diners, Chef Lo has created mini rice dumplings with preserved winter melon, maraschino cherries, dried strawberries, raisins, lotus seeds and dried mango (RM14 nett) for them. I had expected it to be sweet but thankfully it was not. Some mango sauce is served with the dumplings for moistness.
Diners are welcomed to sample the rice dumplings at Tao Chinese Cuisine, InterContinental KL, Jalan Ampang, KL for dine-in and takeaway. For reservations or more information, call tel: 03-2782 6128.

2 comments:

KY said...

pls send some over for breakfast!

Alice JomMakanLife said...

@KY...I wish I had some to send to you. Unfortunately, the Hotel didn't let us tapau any.

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