How to Cook Yummy Homemade Zongzi～Rice Dumplings

Homemade Zongzi～Rice Dumplings. My mother-in-law is a Cantonese zongzi (rice dumpling) expert. She was famous for making the best zongzi in her hometown in Kampar. Since the Zongzi Festival (also called Duanwu Festival, 端午节, Dragon Boat Festival) falls on the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, I decided to make my own rice dumplings, tapping into her expertise and experience of more than half a century!

There are many kinds of Rice Dumplings, they are on the. The classic rice dumpling -the Hokkien Zongzi is a deep brown glossy pyramid of savory glutinous rice stirred with aromatic soy sauce. It's stuffed with soft saucy pork belly, creamy salted egg yolks, umami-laced dried shrimp and other exciting things. You can have Homemade Zongzi～Rice Dumplings using 18 ingredients and 14 steps. Here is how you achieve it.

Ingredients of Homemade Zongzi～Rice Dumplings

1. You need of ※ the Main ingredients ↓.
2. You need 3000 g of Glutinous rice (short grain).
3. It's 1500 g of Pork shoulder roast.
4. You need 150 g of Red onion.
5. It's 130 g of Dried shrimps.
6. Prepare 30 pieces of Dried mushrooms.
7. Prepare 52 pieces of Salted egg yolk.
8. It's 600 g of peanuts.
9. Prepare of ※ Seasoning materials ↓.
10. Prepare 2 tablespoon of Sugar.
11. You need of Salt or chicken powder (to taste).
12. It's 1 cup of Soy sauce.
13. It's of Pepper powder (to taste).
14. You need 5 of spice powder 1 tablespoon.
15. You need of Sesame oil.
16. It's of ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆.
17. You need of bamboo leaves 104 pieces.
18. Prepare 3 (1 bunch) of twine (each bunch for 20 pieces).

It's a little tedious, with quite the range of ingredients to the final step of wrapping (which is in itself another process). A traditional Asian flavor, it's for celebrating The Dragon Boat Festival which is showing up next Monday! ♫*♥*♫• * most families will make zongzi and enjoy all celebrations with loved ones. There are many kinds of Rice Dumplings, they are on the basis of local history!. The fresh and unique fragrance of the reed leaves or bamboo leaves can greatly set the pure.

Homemade Zongzi～Rice Dumplings instructions

1. Dried leaves are unable to be used, they are needed to rehydrate in water before using them for wrapping. The easiest way to prepare the leaves for wrapping is to boil them for 30 minutes or to soak them in water overnight. Place a heavy bowl on top of the leaves to stop them from floating on the water. the leaves will become dark green color when they are fully rehydrated next day. Wash the leaves under running water, and keep the leaves in water until you want to wrap the zongzi..
2. The glutinous rice! It is the only type of rice suitable for making rice dumplings. there are two kind of glutinous rice, the short grain and long one (see the picture) If you use the long glutinous rice, then needs to soak it in water at least 4 hours. the short one doesn't need to soak in water. Wash the glutinous rice a few times until the water is clear. Drain the water away, and set aside for wrapping the zongzi..
3. 【 the filling 1 】 Cut the pork into 3cm squares. Put the pork in a stew pot and add soy sauce + 5 spice powder + white pepper + sugar Bring the pot to boil, then simmer for 30 minutes, the meat won't so tender after 30 minutes, and that is ok as it needed to cook again later. Take out of the meat from the pot, only leaves the gravy in it, the meat is for wrapping the zongzi, and the gravy is for stir-frying the rice. set them aside for using later..
4. 【 the filling 2 】 Soak the dry shiitake mushrooms in water until fully rehydrated. Remove the stems. cut into 2 or in the size you like ~ Stir-fry them with some oil for a few minutes until gets their flavor, then aside for wrapping the zongzi..
5. 【 the filling 3 】 Salted duck egg yolk Taiwanese zongzi often includes the salted egg yolk for its unique flavor. Try to get it at the Asian grocery shop. if you couldn't find it, then simply use stewed eggs instead that would be ok too..
6. 【 the filling 4 】 Dried shrimps are one of the indispensable ingredients, it brings a deep savory flavor to the rice dumplings. Soak them for at least one hour, then clean and remove impurities. Stir-fry with some oil for 2~3 minutes to gets their savory flavor, then set aside for frying rice later..
7. 【 the filling 5 】 Wash peanuts, put them in pot covered with water and add a little salt, bring to boil and then cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes. then set aside for using later..
8. Put oil in a large wok and add chopped red onion in, stir-fry with gentle heat, be careful don't over fried and let it goes bitter. Put the rice in the wok when the red onion started turning into the golden color. then add ↓ 2 bowls of gravy - the step 3 stir-fried shrimps - the step 6 cooked peanuts - the step 7 Mixture well, stir-fry with gentle heat and make sure the rice coating with gravy nicely, keeps to stir-fry until the gravy reduce, then turn off the heat..
9. Wrapping the zongzi take two leaves and crossing each other. Fold up the bottom to create a cone. (see the picture).
10. Find a place to hook a bunch of twine Holding the cone leaves with left hand, the add the fillings firstly some mixed rice, then meat + mushroom + egg yolk and then put some mixed rice on top to covered the fillings.... Use one hand to hold the zongzi and the other to then to fold and wrap, and then to tie it tightly with a knot. ★★★ It is very important, Please Make sure to tie the zongzi tightly, so that it doesn't fall apart. (as it is still raw rice.).
11. There are 2 ways to cook the zongzi (Rice Dumplings) in boiling water or to steam the tastes are totally different..
12. It tastes very softly when cooked in the water, but its aromatic flavor would be less a bit. the good part is lower calories. you would feel amazing when you cook zongzi by steam, smell so good, fabulous taste, it was the way that I took. anyway, if you cook it in the boiling water, needs at least 40 minutes, it takes about 1 hour by steaming. Both ways might be needed to take longer in cooking, it is judging by the taste of our own..
13. Serving hot or cold are all great!.
14. Enjoy! ^_^.

Traditional food for Dragon Boat Festival. Dragon boat racing isn't a tradition in the North-west of China where I grew up. Cantonese-Style Zongzi (Rice Dumplings) Our detailed, step-by-step Cantonese-style zongzi recipe (or joong in Cantonese), a traditional Chinese savory sticky rice treat with pork, peanuts, and salted duck egg yolk eaten during the Dragon Boat festival. Zongzi, or sticky rice dumplings, are almost like a Chinese version of the tamale--sticky rice is wrapped in bamboo leaves with other fillings, and steamed. I'll be using both the Chinese word "zongzi" and the term "sticky rice dumpling" interchangeably.

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