Remember when eating zongzi (rice dumpling) used to be a once-a-year novelty? Whenever the 5th day of the 5th lunar month approached, mothers would get busy making dumplings for Duan Wu Jie. These days, rice dumplings are commercially available all year round, and increasingly, more people are buying instead of making their own. 

There is a wide selection of dumplings. But due to our southern Chinese roots, the perennial favourite in Singapore is still the Hokkien bak chang. It's a tasty bundle of soy-flavoured glutinous rice, braised pork belly, mushroom, chestnut and salted egg yolk. So, where should you go for the best Hokkien bak chang? How do the hawker choices measure up against gourmet hotel offerings?

Eastern Rice Dumpling
300 Balestier Road
Website: www.easternricedumpling.com
Open: 24 hours
Also available at selected Cold Storage, Giant and Shop & Save supermarket outlets.
Price: $2.40
Rating: 3/5

The first thing that hits you is the strong taste of the spices in this dumpling. Too much five-spice powder is used to season the pork and the dumpling is also overloaded with pepper. The salted egg yolk is quite tasteless and has a dry, powdery texture. The chestnuts and mushrooms in the dumpling taste alright. The main redeeming factor of the dumplings here is the rice grains, they are moist and are of a good texture.

 
Hiong Kee Dumplings
#02-38, Hong Lim Food Centre
Tel: 6535 2783
Open: 8.30 am - 7.30 pm. Reservations are highly recommended.
Closed: Sundays & public holidays
Price: $2.50
Rating: 4/5

Snapped up steaming hot by waiting fans, Hiong Kee's dumplings are guaranteed fresh! Hiong Kee has a long history, and indeed, their salted egg yolk rice dumpling has that good ol' traditional taste. The aromatic rice is pleasantly sweet and savoury and the grains are soft but not too sticky. The braised pork is just as tasty and tender without being too fatty. Of the five bak chang sampled, Hiong Kee has the most divine salted egg yolk; it is creamy and extremely rich! With its generous size, this is a good all-rounder offering the best value.

 
Hoo Kee Rice Dumpling
#01-18, Amoy Food Centre
Tel: 6221 1155
Open: 9am until sold out (usually lunchtime). Reservations are a must!
Closed: Sundays & public holidays
Price: $2.80
Rating: 4.5/5

You'll fall hopelessly in love with Hoo Kee's legendary dumplings! The rice dumpling with egg yolk is just unbelievably fragrant! Lightly coloured and subtly flavoured, the glutinous rice has a mysterious allure that grows on you. The lean, sweetish pork is addictive! We love the melt-in-the-mouth chestnut too! Too bad, the egg yolk version has no mushroom, and is pricey considering its small size. That aside, taste-wise, Hoo Kee's dumpling is a clear winner!

Pine Court 
Meritus Mandarin Hotel
Tel: 6831 6262
Available: from now till 28 May 2009
Price: $5.30
Rating: 3.5/5

Like Hiong Kee's dumplings, Pine Court's Xiamen Rice Dumpling is true to the taste of tradition. Although less robust in flavour, it is just as aromatic without the use of heavy spices. Even with the fat removed, the chunky pieces of pork belly are very tender and delicious. However, the rice grains are a little too soft for our liking and the salted egg yolk is too dry. Those who prefer a less salty version will like this, but we're not sure we'd fork out $5.30 when we can get something similar elsewhere at half the price.


Man Fu Yuan
Hotel Intercontinental Singapore
Tel: 6825 1062
Available: from now till 28 May 2009
Price: $4.80++
Rating: 2.5/5

Although we were told that this is the traditional version, Man Fu Yuan's Fragrant Dumpling with Pork and Egg Yolk is quite different from the usual Hokkien bak chang. It's double the size of the usual variety and is shaped as a rectangular-based pyramid rather than the more familiar triangular-based pyramid. The rice grains taste bland. In addition to pork, chestnut and salted egg yolk, there's plenty of mung bean paste in the stuffing. The rice grains are too mushy and the stuffing has no flavour. Ultimately, it's large in size, but taste-wise, has no impact at all.

This year's Duan Wu Jie falls on 28th May.


Which is your favourite Bak Chang? Post your reviews here.