THE ART OF DIM SUM – Zongzi (Sticky Rice Dumpling) Recipe / 粽子

Zongzi (Chinese rice dumpling 粽子) is the traditional food that we eat to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival! now it is became a comment food that you can buy in the supermarket all year around. It is one kind of dim sum. Hard to make, so I think it is the most difficult dim sum.

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**INGREDIENTS SERVE 3-4 PEOPLE**

**FOR THE LEAVES**

– 50 pieces of dried bamboo leaves [50片粽叶] [Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/2sAPd40]
– 1 tsp vegetable oil [1茶匙植物油]

**FOR THE RICE**

– 600 grams of glutinous rice [600克糯米] [Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/2PAu2Ih]
– 2 tsp of sugar [2茶匙白糖]
– 2 tsp of dark soy sauce [2茶匙老抽]
– 1 tsp of sesame oil [1茶匙芝麻油 ] [Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/2QHNnw7]
– 1 tsp of salt [1茶匙盐]

**FOR THE STIR-FRY FILLINGS**

– 6 pieces of dried mushroom [6个干香菇] [Amazon link: https://amzn.to/2PyyIi8]
– 50 grams of dried scallop [50克干贝] [Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/2Ew60xj]
– 80 grams of dried shrimp [80克干虾米] [Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/2PBAOgW]
– 100 grams of peanuts [100克花生]
– 2 tbsp of vegetable oil [2汤匙植物油]
– 1 tbsp of soy sauce [1汤匙生抽]
– 1/2 tsp of black pepper [半茶匙黑胡椒]
– 1/4 tsp of salt [1/4茶匙盐]

**FOR THE CHICKEN MARINADE**

– 250 grams of chicken thigh [250克鸡腿肉]
– 1 tbsp of soy sauce [1汤匙生抽]
– 2 tsp of cooking wine [2茶匙料酒]
– 1 tsp of dark soy sauce [1茶匙老抽]
– 1 tsp of five spice [1茶匙五香粉] [Amazon link: https://amzn.to/2QNJ1n3]
– 1/4 tsp of salt [1/4茶匙盐]

**OTHER THINGS*

– 12 salted egg yolks [12个咸蛋黄]
– Some cooking twine [一些绳子]

**HOW TO COOK**

**THE NIGHT BEFORE**

– Put a tsp of vegetable oil into the water. Boil the dried bamboo leaves for 5 minutes. Soak it in the water overnight. Each zongzi needs 2 pieces of leaves, but you might want to prepare more leaves in case some of them break or are not the right size.
– Cut the chicken into the size you like. Marinate it with 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tsp of cooking wine, 1 tsp of dark soy sauce, 1 tsp of five spice, 1/4 tsp of salt. Let it sit in the fridge overnight.
– Wash the glutinous rice really well. Soak it overnight.
– Soak the dried mushroom, dried shrimp, dried scallop and the peanuts with water overnight.

**NEXT DAY**

– Drain everything.
– Cut the mushroom into small pieces. Rip the scallop into small pieces, too.
– Use 2 tbsp of vegetable oil and stir fry the mushroom, shrimp, scallop and peanuts on medium heat for 3 minutes. Add 1/2 tsp of black pepper, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1 tbsp of soy sauce to adjust the taste. Turn off the heat and set it aside.
– Drain the glutinous rice. Add 2 tsp of sugar, 1 tsp of salt, 2 tsp of dark soy sauce, 1 tsp of sesame oil. Mix it well and set it aside.
– Take the bamboo leaves out of the water.
– The ingredients can be switched with anything you like. You can put beef, pork, sausage, bacon. Or other types of nut, like chestnut. Basically, you can make your own filling.

**MAKE THE ZONGZI**

– Tie one side of the ropes somewhere. This is super helpful especially if you are doing this alone. The rope needs to be long enough to tie 5-6 circles. I think 1.2 m is perfect.

– Take 2 bamboo leaves. Wipe the water off. Rough side face down. The front side needs to face up- it feels smooth. Put them together- one on top of the other one.
– Fold it from 3/8. Make it into an ice cream cone shape. Make sure there is no hole on the bottom, so the rice won’t drop.
– Put 1 tbsp of glutinous rice in it. Press it down, tightly pack it in.
– Add in some fried fillings we prepared, some chicken.And 1 salted egg yolks.
– Add enough glutinous rice to cover it. Press it again to make sure it is flat and tight.
– Right-hand holds it. Use your thumb and forefinger to press two sides in. Left-hand folds the upper leave down.
– The last part is that you have to wrap it up along the surface and follow the shape of the zongzi.
– Use the twine to tie a few circles from the center.
– The amount I gave is enough to make 12 – 15 zongzi. So we need to finish the rest.
– The water should completely cover the zongzi. Boil the zongzi for 2-3 hours, depending on the size. During this time, add more water if you need it.

Happy Dragon Boat Festival!

Hope you enjoy! If you have any questions, just post a comment.

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