Ark zhang

(you read that right, these are duck dumplings!)

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Today marks the annual Dumpling Festival, also known as the Dragon Boat Festival or Duan Wu Jie (端午节). Celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, it’s observed across the Chinese diaspora with the making and eating of leaf-wrapped glutinous rice dumplings. There are countless variations, including the bouncy, translucent kee zhang, made from alkalinised glutinous rice; and the distinctively blue-tinted Nonya dumplings with coriander seed-scented pork. The most common variety that one can purchase year-round in Singapore is the Hokkien bak zhang, a darkly coloured parcel of sticky rice, lor bak (soy-braised pork belly), salted egg yolk, braised shiitake mushrooms, and chestnuts. It’s an all-in-one snack that’s great for snacking between meals.

For many years, I’ve stuck to making this classic version in a bid to improve upon my own recipe. As you know, every cook in Singapore has a different way of making such a traditional dish, and finding your own way and coming to a version that you’re fully satisfied with is almost a rite of passage. But, as with many dishes, once you get a grasp on the fundamentals, tradition is no longer restrictive, and instead becomes a canvas and springboard on which to be playful in the kitchen. Last year, for instance, I made a fully vegan dumpling, using mung bean paste to mimic the usual salted egg yolk and incorporating a mix of grains alongside the glutinous rice:

This year, I’ve decided on ark zhang, or duck dumplings, with chopped braised duck (lor ark). This variation is not that far of a leap from the traditional pork dumplings, given that lor ark is really the cousin of lor bak that’s the star in Hokkien bak zhang.

I can’t assume credit for the idea of ark zhang—I’d come across them on Instagram when duck rice hawker Melvin Chew made them many years ago, but never found the motivation to give them a go until this year. Duck rice is a relatively under-the-radar hawker dish outside of Singapore, which is a shame considering how comforting it is. To make duck rice, you braise whole duck, then take the braising liquid that is by now brimming with umami and use it to various delicious ends: marinated eggs, braised peanuts, and soaked tofu puffs; and rice cooked with the braising liquid in place of water (like chicken rice). Some but not all duck rice hawkers offer pickled mustard greens, or taro rice punctuated with bits of fried shallots as a bonus. My dumplings these year were basically duck rice in a compact, fist-sized parcel.

As with traditional bak zhang, these dumplings are an endeavour. I braised a duck, using my mother-in-law’s lor bak (braised pork belly) as a template. Once tender, I pulled the skin and meat from the duck bones and diced everything finely. I then thickened part of the braising liquid with cornstarch to form a glossy sauce and folded it through the chopped duck meat.

With the remaining braising liquid, I used it to prepare the other components: the marinated quail eggs, braised peanuts, simmered taupok (fried tofu puffs), and glutinous rice. The bonus side product that you get with cooking duck, thanks to its prodigious fat reserves, is the rendered fat. It floats to the top of the braising liquid and can be skimmed off when the braising liquid is refrigerated overnight. I used this to caramelise sliced red onion and fry pickled mustard greens, which offer a much-welcome respite from the rich flavours of the dumpling.

The resulting dumplings are luxurious, as you might expect. I even made my own chilli sauce, echoing the tangy condiment that you get at hawker centres with your duck rice. While I do miss bak zhang (it’s a classic for a reason), if you don’t eat pork, or if you want to try something different this year, these dumplings are well worth the effort.

Ark Zhang
Makes 20 ark zhang