Zongzi Recipes

SHANGHAI STYLE PORK ZONGZI (STICKY RICE DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• The night before: Soak the zongzi leaves by weighing them down in a bowl of water with a heavy object. They should be completely submerged. In a large container, soak the glutinous rice in water, making sure the water level is 3-4 inches above the rice, as it will expand considerably as it soaks. Cut the pork belly into 1-inch x 2-inch chunks. Combine the pork with all the marinade ingredients except the water (the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, sugar, Shaoxing wine, white pepper, and five-spice powder), and mix everything well. It may seem like a lot of salt, but the rice will absorb the saltiness during the cooking process. If there is no visible liquid after mixing, add water, 2 tablespoons at a time. Pork can soak up a lot of liquid and the liquid will help to keep it moist. The pork marinade should be wet, but without too much liquid pooling at the bottom.
• The next day: Completely drain the rice using a fine-meshed colander or sieve. Mix in the rice marinade ingredients (the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and salt), and mix everything well. Set aside, and marinate for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, wash each leaf front and back with a soft cloth, and rinse. Transfer them to a bowl of fresh water until you're ready to wrap the zongzi so they don't dry out. Lay out all the components: the pork, the rice, zongzi leaves, and kitchen twine. Now you're ready to start wrapping zongzi! Follow the step-by-step photos on how to wrap them. There will be visible sauce at the bottom of the rice when you get to the end, simply drain it out once you start to see this, as you don't want any excess liquid in the zongzi.
• To cook the zongzi, neatly and tightly nest all the zongzi in a large soup pot. Ideally, there will be no visible gaps. If necessary, put a large heatproof plate directly on top of the zongzi to weigh them down. Fill the pot with cold water until they are completely submerged. Place the pot on the stove over high heat. Once the water boils, turn the heat to medium-low, and let it simmer for at least 4-5 hours. The water should be "moving" at a light simmer; definitely not boiling. Check the pot fairly often to make sure the zongzi are always submerged in water. Add only boiling water so the water temperature never gets too low.

PORK ZONGZI (CANTONESE SAVORY STICKY RICE DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Soak the bamboo leaves, sweet rice, and mung beans separately in water overnight.
• Combine all the pork ingredients and allow to marinate overnight.
• (Optional- to sanitize the bamboo leaves, remove them from the soaking liquid and add them to a pot with fresh water. Bring it to a boil and cook the leaves for 5 minutes.) Drain the leaves and wipe them each down on both sides. Cut off an inch from the base and an inch from the tip.
• Place the shiitake mushrooms in a medium-sized bowl and add hot water to cover. Soak for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft throughout. Drain the mushrooms, squeeze out the excess water, and slice them into quarters.
• Drain the rice and transfer it to a big bowl. Add the seasonings to the rice and mix until evenly coated.
• Drain the mung beans and transfer them to a medium-sized bowl.
• To wrap the zongzi (see the process photos above for the steps)
• Take two leaves, making sure they do not have any holes or tears. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut off 1" (2.5 cm) from both ends. Face the smooth sides towards yourself (this is the side that will contain the filling), with the wider base sides facing away from each other, then overlap the leaves to make 1 long strip. There should be 3-4" (8-10 cm) of individual leaf sticking out beyond the overlap on each side. A third of the way along the strip, pinch the side opposite from you and fold it into a cone shape, with the leaf sticking out from one end. Hold the cone using one hand and begin to add the filling with your other hand.
• Add 2-3 tablespoons of rice to the bottom and press it up against the sides to create a small well. Add a piece of pork (make sure every piece added has a chunk of fat), half a yolk, two quarters a shiitake, and 1 to 2 tablespoons of mung beans. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of rice over everything. Gently press and smooth as you do. There should be a 1/4" (1/2 cm) lip around the rice.
• Take the open side of the zongzi between your thumb and index finger and fold the sides inwards, covering the rice. Fold the long leaves over the open area, tightening between your thumb and index finger to create a pointed triangular shape. Then flip the zongzi over and wrap the leaves around tightly to seal it. Wrap the zongzi in a piece of twine, making sure it is cinching any area where the leaf might come loose, and tie it off. For extra security, you can use another piece of twine to wrap the zongzi again, crosswise.
• Cook on the stovetop: Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the zongzi. Return the pot to a low simmer and cook covered for 3 hours (4 if the zongzi are very large).
• Cook in an Instant Pot: Add the zongzi to an Instant Pot and water to cover. Close the lid and make sure the valve is sealed. Choose "Manual" at "High Pressure" and set a timer for 1 hour. Once done, let the Instant Pot release the pressure naturally.
• Drain the zongzi from the water and serve hot.
• Store cooked and wrapped zongzi in an airtight container or Ziplock bag in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. To reheat, thaw the zongzi completely in the fridge overnight. Boil the zongzi in water until heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. You can heat up the unwrapped zongzi in a microwave as well.

CANTONESE-STYLE ZONGZI (RICE DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• First, soak the leaves overnight. The next day, wash and rinse each leaf front and back, keeping them in a large bowl or tub of water until wrapping time so they don't dry out.
• Soak the sweet rice overnight. The next day, drain completely. Mix the soaked, uncooked rice with 2 tablespoons light soy sauce and 2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl and set aside.
• Soak the peanuts overnight. The next day, boil for 5 minutes, drain, and set aside.
• In a bowl, toss the pork belly with 2 teaspoons light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons shaoxing wine, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and white pepper. Marinate overnight. The goal of this step is to make the pork belly slightly too salty, because the rice will absorb the excess salt, giving the zongzi its distinctive savory, umami flavor.
• The next day, heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Cook the pork belly for a few minutes before adding the water. Cover the wok with the lid, and cook for 5-10 minutes until the liquid is gone. Remove from the wok and let cool.
• Cut the egg yolks in half. Cut the sausages into 12 equal pieces. Set aside in separate bowls.
• Follow the step-by-step photos to wrap the zongzi. Remember: You must cut away at least half an inch off the bottom of every leaf you use. Make sure the kitchen twine won't break easily. To do this, it's best to wet the twine first by soaking it in a bowl of water. It's best to tie one end of the twine to an anchor point or kitchen fixture (e.g. you kitchen sink), because you will only have one hand to tie the zongzi. Your other hand will be holding the zongzi. Or have someone help you out! If leaves rip anywhere during the wrapping process, you'll need to start over and discard the ripped leaf. That's why I call for more leaves than is technically needed. Some of the leaves are bound to rip.
• To cook the Zongzi, get a medium-sized pot and neatly nest the zongzi inside, avoiding large gaps. Put a large plate directly on top of the zongzi to weigh them down. Fill the pot with cold water, until the zongzi are submerged. Place the pot on the stove over medium high heat. Once the water boils, turn the heat to low/medium-low, and let it simmer for at least 7-8 hours.
• The water should be "moving" while simmering, but there should be no large roiling bubbles. You must check the pot fairly often to make sure the zongzi are always submerged in water. Only add boiling water to adjust the water level-do not add room temperature or cold water. Keep a kettle of hot water on the stove so that you're prepared throughout the 7-8 hour cooking time.
• Once the 7-8 hours is up, eat the zongzi while they're hot! Sweet zongzi can be enjoyed at room temperature, but savory zongzi are really the best when they're steamy and delicious.

ZONGZI: CHINESE STICKY RICE DUMPLING (粽子)

Steps:

• Prepare: Soak glutinous rice, red beans and bamboo leaves in water overnight.
• Assemble (triangle shape): Use one wide bamboo leaf (or two overlapped narrow ones) to form a narrow cone. First, place a date in the cone, then some glutinous rice. Add a tablespoon of red bean paste. Top with more rice and whole red beans. Fold the two sides of the leaf over the rice. Then fold the top of the leaf down to cover the rice completely. Wrap the rest of the leaf around the shape. Tie with a cooking string. Please refer to the video below.
• Cook: Place Zongzi in a pot (ideally small enough to let them snuggle). Fill the pot with water completely covering the Zongzi. Place a heavy plate on top. Bring the water to a boil then leave to simmer for 2.5 hours (check the water level from time to time. Top up to ensure the Zongzi are always underwater).
• Serve: Equally delicious both warm and cold. Dip into sugar or honey for a sweeter taste if you wish.
• Prepare: Soak glutinous rice, shiitake mushrooms and bamboo leaves in water overnight. Marinate the pork with the rest of the ingredients overnight.
• Assemble (pyramid shape): Overlap two leaves like an X. Form a wide cone in the middle. Place some glutinous rice in, then the pork and mushroom. Top with more rice and make it level. Fold two ends of the leaves towards the middle. Then use another two leaves to seal two sides. Tie with a cooking string (opposite direction of the last two leaves). Please refer to the video below.
• Cook: Same as cooking sweet Zongzi (see above).
• Serve: Best to serve warm.

ZONGZI RECIPE

Steps:

• For dry leaves, pre-soak in clean water overnight and it will turn green in next morning. And then wash the leaves carefully with a clean towel.

ZONGZI

Steps:

• The night before, rinse your rice with water until water runs clear. Soak rice in water overnight.
• In a bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar, five-spice powder, Shaoxing wine, and water. Add in pork belly and stir a few times until all pieces are covered in marinade. Marinade overnight in the fridge. I recommend stirring around the meat at the half-way point so that the meat at the bottom doesn't become saltier and more marinated than the pieces on top.
• On the day of wrapping first soak bamboo leaves in a large container for about 30 minutes. This will wash off any dirt or dust and should make your leaves soft enough so that you can fold them to get them to fit into a large pot. Boil leaves in a large pot for about 10 minutes, or until all the leaves are pliable and look evenly wet and slightly more brown.
• Drain water from sticky rice. Lightly dry your leaves. Gather all your ingredients and place them on your working surface. I also recommend you cut the twine ahead of time. I used 3 1/2 feet per dumpling, but this length will vary depending on the size of your dumplings and how many times you need to wrap to secure. You may want to do a practice one to get the idea of the length you need, and then pre-cut the rest of the twine based on that length.
• For the rest of the wrapping steps, please refer to photos above for more details. Choose two bamboo leaves that are approximately the same size. Snip off the hard ends. Place the leaves so that the shiny side faces down and the dull side faces up. Arrange the leaves so that the two pointy ends are facing each other. Then push the leaves inward, so that the leaves overlap halfway (basically the pointy edge of one leaf should be halfway up the length of the other leaf).
• Holding where the pointy ends are, fold inward on both sides until you form a cone with a pointy bottom. The excess portion of the leaves not in the cone from both sides should be about the same length.
• Fill the bottom of your cone with some rice. Then add about 5 pieces of pork belly. I also liked drizzling a little of the excess marinade onto the rice. Add 4-5 peanuts and half an egg yolk. Then fill the top with more rice. You can fill up close to the edge of the top of the cone, but leave a little room. Pinch both sides of your cone (see photo), then take the top leaves and fold down and over. This should form a triangle. Take the excess leftover leaves and fold around the triangle. It doesn't matter which side but I found there was always a side that needed a few more folds to help secure filling. Make sure all your fold are tight.
• Take your pre-cut twine and start wrapping around your dumpling to secure all the folds. I usually wrapped three times going one direction and then 2-3 times the other way. When you are done, double knot the string. Set aside and repeat with remaining dumplings.
• To cook, fill a large pot with water and put dumplings in. Boil for about 2 hours or until rice is tender. You can also steam, but it will take about 4 hours. Or you can use a multi-function pressure cooker and steam for about 35 minutes.
• You can store cooked zongzi in the freezer for several months. Just re-steam to eat.

VEGAN ZONGZI (STICKY RICE DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Soak the bamboo leaves overnight.
• Rinse the glutinous rice and dried shiitake mushrooms and soak in separate bowls overnight.
• Soak the string, mung beans and peanuts in separate bowls.
• Measure out the cooked chickpeas, chop the kabocha and slice mock meat.
• Rinse and wash the bamboo leaves. Trim the bottom stems so that the ends are flat (refer to photo) and keep them in water so they don't dry out.
• Drain the rice and mix with soy sauce and salt.
• Drain the shiitake mushrooms and slice them into small bite sized pieces.
• Drain the peanuts and mung beans.
• Follow the video and/or photos to make the cone out of the bamboo leaves. Add 2 tbsp of the rice, 1 tbsp of the mung beans, 1-2 pieces of mock meat, 1 cube of kabocha, 2 pieces of shiitake mushrooms, 1 tbsp of chickpeas and 1/2 tbsp of peanuts. Top it off with another 2 tbsp of rice (it was about 55-60g of rice per rice dumpling). How much you can add in will depend on the size of your bamboo leaf but this was the perfect amount for the ones I was using. Then finish wrapping the dumpling and securely wrap and tie it with string. If at any time the bamboo leaves rip, you must start over. This is why I recommend soaking a couple extra because I find 4-5 leaves rip.
• Once everything is wrapped up, prepare a medium to large pot (large enough to fit all the zongzi). Fill the pot with cold water and place a plate that covers majority of the pot on top. Add more water if needed-- everything should be submerged in water. Turn the heat up to medium high. Once the water is at a boil reduce the heat to medium/medium low and let it simmer for 2.5 hours.
• Ensure the water is not boiling but simmer with light bubbles rising. Check every 30 minutes to ensure the zongzi are still submerged in water. If you need to add water, be sure to use HOT water.
• Once 2.5 hours passes, turn off the heat. Remove the plate and zongzi carefully out of the pot using tongs.
• Cut the strings, unwrap them and serve with sauce and green onions or let them cool completely before storing them in the refrigerator or freezer.