I just realized I posted about machang, those Chinese pandan leaves wrapped sticky rice cakes you may have seen in specialty stores in any Chinatown in the world, but I never really mentioned how to make them last longer to save you on trips to the store, especially if you live in the province. But in my hometown of Laoag, machang is on the Macy’s Diner menu, but because my husband knows where to buy it by the dozen in Manila, he not only saves time, but money as well.
Now that I’ve been living a schizo life in LA, I actually don’t have much time for too many things such as going to the Kang Kang Food Court, in Alhambra, where machang (zongzi, bah-chang, jung, dong, Chinese suman, or however you call the sticky rice cake) tastes like the one I’ve grown up eating in the Philippines, however, I can bring home a bunch, store them and enjoy them later like they are newly made.
Machang can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days, and beyond that, store them in the freezer. To recook frozen machang, straight from the freezer, boil it for one hour, a little longer if you are cooking more than one piece. Don’t be impatient and open the lid frequently. For cold machang, boil for 20 minutes. Unwrap before serving.
Guaranteed, it will taste as fresh as the day you bought it. Enjoy!
This machang from Kang Kang was insanely good!
Til my next post.
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