Steamed Sticky Taro Dumplings (芋粿巧 )
Tasty to eat, fun to pronounce in Taiwanese: Oo-Kue-Khiau
Steamed Sticky Taro Dumplings (or Oo-Kue-Khiau in Taiwanese) can be found at popcorn chicken stands in Taiwan as an add-on, on worship offerings tables during Chung-Yun Festival (Ghost Festival in lunar July), or at rice cake (粿) stands in traditional markets and touristy towns. Besides taro balls, it’s another taro delicacy made famous in the touristy and beautiful town of Jiufen (九份). It is said that the Jiufen miners used to carry these savory dumplings with them to work, but over the course of the day, the oval dumplings started to look curved like a half moon in their pockets, hence the character 巧, which is a phonetic stand-in word for the Taiwanese term kiao (曲), meaning crooked. It’s got the classic Taiwanese flavor ensemble of pork, fried shallots, dried shitake mushrooms, and dried shrimp, but the addition of fragrant taro chunks and its portable nature make it a fun thing to eat when visiting temples or walking up the steep and narrow stairs of Jiufen.
INGREDIENTS
DUMPLING
227g/0.5lb taro, cut into small chunks about 1/3” big
113g/0.25lb ground pork
30g fried shallots, minced into small pieces (or 15g deep-fried garlic bits）
3 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated, wrung dry and minced
36g (3tbsp) lard or neutral cooking oil of choice
10g dried baby shrimp
140g glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour)
60g rice flour
1 tbsp tapioca flour
170g warm water or stock( reserved from mushroom soaking liquid)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1-2 shakes of white pepper
1-2 shakes of five spice powder
1 tbsp oil for brushing
Cilantro leaves (optional)
SAUCE
Soy sauce paste
Minced garlic
Water
DIRECTIONS
Mix dough liquid: In a small bowl, add reserved mushroom water, and add water until 170g/ml. Add 1/4 tsp of salt and mix well.
Saute filling: In a sauté pan or wok, add in lard, shiitake mushrooms, and cook for a few minutes. Add in pork and cook through until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add in taro pieces, cook for a minute or two. Add in dried baby shrimp, cook for another minute. Season with soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, white pepper, five spice powder, and fried shallots. Mix everything well and cook for 2-3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Mix the dough: Warm up the mushroom liquid til warm and add into a mixing bowl. Add in sweet rice flour and rice flour, mix until a cohesive dough forms. Mix in the sautéed filling until evenly mixed. The dough should be soft but not sticky, without big cracks.
Shape the dough: Divide the dough evenly into 12 pieces. Shape into flattened rounded-edged half-moon shapes about 3/4” thick.
Steam the dumplings: Brush the dumplings lightly with oil, and set them on a lined steamer. Steam for 9 minutes in the Instant Pot with high pressure, quick release when done. Alternatively, steam for 20-25 minutes in a regular pot fitted with a steamer.
To Serve: Serve with garlicky soy sauce paste, and garnish with cilantro on top if desired. Can also be panfried on top and bottom, or deep fried for a crunchy exterior and soft interior.