Banh Ja’neuk - Sweet Mung Bean Dumplings for Cambodian New Year

We were in Richmond this past weekend to celebrate Cambodian New Year with my family. Technically this year, the New Year begins April 14-16, but the Richmond community celebrated a weekend early. So what does this mean, my mom cooks up a storm in her kitchen! On the car ride down, my brother and I were actually craving the same dessert, the sweet and coconut infused mung bean dumplings. It's actually a glutinous rice flour that has the similar consistency of tapioca and the filling is a sweet mung bean paste. It totally brought me back to our childhood. And my mom was more than happy to make a big pot for us to ring in the new year right!

Ingredients:
3 oz split mung beans (can be found at the Asian market)
1 can sweet coconut milk
2 oz pure palm sugar
1/2 cup glutinous rice flour (can be found at the Asian market)
1/3 cup of water
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
1 tablespoon toasted black sesame seed, grounded into a powder for garnish

Soak the mung beans in warm water for at least 3-4 hours -- it's best to soak overnight. Rinse and drain the mung beans. Wrap in a cheesecloth and gently apply pressure to remove any excess water. Place the cheesecloth in a steamer and steam for about 20-25 minutes to soften the beans. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer a small amount of the mung beans at a time to a mortar & pestle and mash to a paste. Reserve 1 cup of coconut milk and pour the remainder in a medium pot over low heat. Add palm sugar, a pinch of salt and 1/3 cup of water to the pot. Stir until the palm sugar dissolves and then turn off the heat and set aside.

In a large glass bowl, pour a little warm water with the glutinous rice flour -- it's best to pour a little water at a time and mix to start forming a dough. You should not use more than 1/3 cup of water for the dough. As you form the dough use your hands and palm to knead the dough until soften. Once the dough is formed, divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll each portion into a long roll with the palms of your hand. Then using a knife, for each of the rolls, make a mark about every 1/2 inch a part; this serves as a guide so your dumplings are of equal size.
 
Now comes the fun part! Separate the dough by the marking and start forming a quarter size ball. If the dough cracks you can dip your fingers in warm water and press it. Flatten out the ball in the palm of your hand and add about 1/3 teaspoon of the cooled mung bean paste. Then reform the ball around the paste. In a pot of boiling water,  drop the dumplings in batches. Don’t overcrowd the pot. The dumplings will float to the top when it's cooked. Remove them from the boiling water and add to the pot of coconut syrup. This will help prevent the dumplings from sticking together. Once all dumplings are in the syrup, add the reserved 1 cup of coconut milk and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and mix well. Turn the heat to medium low and bring to a slow simmer for 2-3 minutes. then simmer for 2-3. Wait until cool before serving. When ready to serve, scoop a few dumplings and coconut sauce into a small bowl. Sprinkle with some powdered toasted black sesame seeds for the finishing touch.