Making Zongzi for Duanwu

Zongzi-Rice Dumplings in Bamboo Leaves

Source: eatingchina.com

Makes 20 dumplings

Ingredients



40 large bamboo leaves (2 for each zongzi)

20 long strings (for binding leaves)

1 kg (2.2 Ib) uncooked glutinous rice

2 kg (4.4 Ib) fatty pork, sliced into 3 cm (1") cubes

10 salted duck's egg yolk, shelled, cut into halves

40 small dried shittake (black) mushrooms

20 dried chestnuts

10 stalks of scallions, cut up into 1 cm (1/2") lengths

500 g (18 oz) dried radish diced very finely

100 g (3.5 oz) very small dried shrimp

200 g (7 oz) raw peanuts (shelled, with skins)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup rice wine

Vegetable oil

5 cloves of garlic, roughly crushed

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

2 pieces star anise



Method



Preparing ingredients



Soak rice in water for three hours, drain.



Stew pork and chestnuts for 1 hour in soy sauce, rice wine, ground pepper, 1
teaspoon of sugar. and star anise. Set aside pork and chestnuts in bowl.



Boil peanuts until tender (30 minutes to 1 hour).



Soak mushrooms until soft. Clean and cut off stalks. Stir-fry with a little
liquid from stew. Set aside in bowl.



Shell and halve duck eggs. Set aside in bowl.



Chop up dried radish finely and stir-fry with some 1/2 teaspoon sugar and
garlic.



Stir-fry spring onions until fragrant.



Stir-fry shrimp very quickly.



In a large wok or bowl, add rice, then add spring onions, radish, shrimp,
peanuts. Mix together well.



Wrapping zongzi



Rinse bamboo leaves in hot water to tenderise, before washing thoroughly in cold
water.



Wet strings to make them more pliable.



Take 2 leaves and overlap them. About 2/3rds of way along the length of the
leaves, place one hand underneath, make a cup shape with the leaves.



Add a small amount of rice mixture, then add 1 piece of pork to the centre of
the rice. Add more rice on top, compressing slightly.



Now repeat this process, in turn adding 1 each: chestnut, mushroom, half a duck
egg, followed by a layer of rice until you have a full rice ball in your hand.




Wrap leaves tightly around the ball of rice.



Dumplings should be pyramid shaped with sharp edges and pointed ends. It takes
some practice to make nice looking ones.



Zongzi are tied up just like shoes laces with a double knot which makes them
easy to open.



*Steam for 1 hour, unwrap and serve.



Notes

Eat zongzi plain or with a sauce of your choice. Wrapped tightly in
plastic, zongzi freeze well. To reheat, thaw, and without removing the bamboo
leaves, steam (best option), or microwave. Before micro-waving, poke a very
small hole in the wrapping and pour in 1/4 of a teaspoon of water to help
prevent the zongzi drying out. To test for doneness, plunge a sharp fork into
the centre of the zongzi. If the pointy end of the fork is hot, so is your
snack.

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