Chinese Gambling Rice
Chinese Gambling Rice So, I finally got around to my next assignment from the Cooking Mamas: Chinese Gambling Rice, or “ pua kiao beng ” in the Teochew Chinese dialect of Singapore, from where this recipe originates. My fellow Cooking Mama, Eva, found this recipe and an evocative story about preserving ties to our cultural past through passing on family recipes, written by author Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/22/AR2011032202865.html I adore the history behind the name of this dish, which the author’s grandmother served to keep gamblers in their seats longer, instead of having to leave her illicit gambling den in search of food. That’s a practical and smart woman for you -- serve a rice dish that gamblers can hold in one hand while continuing to gamble. While reviewing the list of ingredients, I could already smell and just about taste the familiar aroma of rich Chinese black mushrooms (which are believed t...